


The Beast and Its Mate

by Rioghna



Series: Holidays and other firsts [11]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Conspiracy, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-05-14 16:18:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 28,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5749891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rioghna/pseuds/Rioghna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something Dark and Dangerous is stirring in Storybrooke, and the magical mishaps have just been the beginning</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Danger Unseen

The Beast and Its Mate

The man walked down the street towards the church trying to look casual, as he had done dozens of times before. Before the breaking of the curse, no one would have thought anything of it anyway. Wednesday night was the weekly meeting of the men's group of the church. No one who wasn't a member quite knew what they got up to, though someone once speculated it was an excuse for a poker game. Nothing particularly exciting. Then the curse broke and everyone woke up. True, if anyone saw him going, they would just assumed that he was going to the meeting out of force of habit. They had, in fact, continued much the same way as they had before, the difference being that now they knew the purpose. Still, he was careful.

When he reached the side door of the small building attached to the church, he gave the appropriate knock, and when asked, gave the correct password, and was admitted. Once inside, he looked around, nodding to the half dozen men already gathered, and went to get himself a plastic cup of iced tea, one of the things about this new land that many of them particularly liked, especially as it was a rather humid, if not too terribly hot evening, and all the windows were closed, the fan only moving around the air in the room. But he knew if he asked to open a window he would be reprimanded. Secrecy was essential to their mission, he had been told more times than he could count. Instead of concentrating on what he couldn't change, he settled for grabbing a chair, nodding to the rest of the familiar faces, and waiting for the rest of men to arrive.

 

"My brothers, the time has finally come," the leader of the group said, as he took his place in the front of the room. "It is time to strike back at the evil in our very midst, hunt it down, and destroy it for all time." Master Thomas had the voice of an orator, for all that he wasn't a particularly imposing man. Still, his statement silenced the room instantly, bringing everyone's focus to the man at the front of the room. "Rejoice, the time for hiding is almost over. We will rise up, cleanse the wicked, and lead the rest back to the proper path, the path of the righteous."

At that announcement the room burst into a riot of sound. Cheers, questions, and conversation burst from the two dozen or so men in the small room. Privately, the man, who was sitting in the back, thought that Brother Thomas had been paying too much mind to those preachers in this new world, the ones that had programs on the television shouting about sin and hell and begging for money. Not that Brother Thomas was in the begging for money category, but he certainly seemed to have been taking style lessons. Pitching his voice to be heard, he called out over the hubbub. "Why now?" It was a simple enough question, and quiet traveled through the room like a wave. There were certainly some of the men present who wanted the answer. As things quieted, he decided he'd best expand on the question before it was taken the wrong way, this was not the kind of group that took dissent well. "No disrespect, Master Thomas, but thus far they have been useful. Certainly we needed them to deal with the threats this town has faced in the recent past."

"Threats of their own design, ones brought on by their very presence and the pernicious nature of their magic. But those other threats pale in comparison to what is happening now. I have seen the signs. There is a child coming, the evil offspring of the Dark One himself, and that is only the beginning. From there, Rumplestiltskin will continue, spawning more evil. The Evil Queen herself is teaching her corrupting magic to the Savior, who knows how far it will spread? Then there are the others, the nonhumans. Left unchecked we will have Dwarves hatching in the mines, and Fairies...well, doing whatever it is they do to create more of their kind. Before you know it, we will be overrun with evil, a tide we cannot stop." Master Thomas' eyes gleamed with the fanatic's fire. Before him, some of the men nodded, or shouted in approval, while others said nothing, keeping their own counsel. The man who asked the question just nodded. Seen the signs indeed. Not like they are hiding it. Not that in her current condition Belle could hide anything. Besides, half the town was invited to the baby shower. But he kept those thoughts to himself.

"Rumplestiltskin has already had one child, why is this one different? Surely, since it is a child of True Love..." the quiet voice came from the back of the room. Brother Robert was a lean, quiet young man, the youngest of them all, and not one known for speaking up. He was a gentle soul and a scholar, hardly one to challenge the Master, but his question was sincere, his expression earnest. He genuinely wanted the answer. Besides, of all of them, he was in the best position to know the Dark One's wife, and probably the best to judge. Not that the Master would listen to him.

"The son you speak of, Baelfire, was born before he took on the curse of the Dark One, or so it is said, and therefore, while he is probably tainted by what his father is, he is not necessarily a child of evil, though it is hard to say. There is no mention in the Order's records of who or what his mother was. But that can be dealt with after, as will his child, the child he had with the Savior. They will have to be questioned later, and then we can judge. As to the assertion that this child is the product of True Love, it has been said often, but I doubt it is true. Everyone knows that the Dark One is incapable of True Love. In all likelihood, it is some pernicious spell of his devising. But all of that is beside the point. Thus far, our disruptions and experiments have done well, and the magical mishaps have set up a pattern. They believe themselves safe because things have been handled with relatively little disturbance, and it has helped that there have been one or two accidents with other objects, not of our design. They cannot trace them, and thus they feel safe, they see no pattern," he said, with a smile that seemed suddenly much darker than should be from a cleric and a servant of the Gods. Brother Thomas scanned the room, meeting every eye, attempting to bring them with him. "But that is not the case, and soon enough we will cleanse this town of wickedness. The time to strike is now. True Love or not, Rumplestiltskin is at his most vulnerable right now, and strike we will, we must." His voice had risen in pitch and he struck the podium with a crack like thunder. Most of the men were right with him, some rising to their feet as if they were about to grab the pitchforks and light the torches, but a few, like Robert, like himself, weren't so certain.

"Surely you don't mean to get rid of her, to kill the child or its mother?" Brother Robert asked, this time his voice much stronger. "They are innocents, and it is our duty to protect the innocent." Around the room, one or two heads nodded. Belle was well liked in the community, she was the librarian, organized programs for the children, after school homework sessions, and had even, on the return from Neverland, overseen a program to bring the 'lost boys' that could not be returned to their original homes (or times, or realms) up to speed with both the world and their studies, so they could start trying to have normal lives. She was an asset to the community, no matter how they felt about her husband, and no one could possibly hold anything against her.

"Whether the woman that shares her bed with the Dark One is truly an innocent is a matter for debate, but I am not suggesting that at all," he said, his voice pitching down to a more soothing tone. It wouldn't do to lose his audience.

Or at least not here and now, the man at the back thought to himself. He was fairly certain even the most fanatic of them would draw a line at killing a pregnant woman and her child, any pregnant woman and child, at least he hoped so. Doubly so for one so well loved. If asked, he would never have said it, not aloud, but he had begun having his doubts in the last year, doubts about what they were doing, about their mission and his part in it, and he suspected he was not the only one. There was a time when he wouldn't have thought to question the Order or its methods. But that was before. He actually had a good life here in this world, work he enjoyed, friends, and a home, more so than he had ever really had. In the last year, seeing what he had seen, learning what he had fighting side by side by those he would have once sent to the question or the fire, that he realised his faith was slipping. He had spent time with Belle and Rumplestiltskin, gotten to know Bae a little bit and even Regina seemed to be more aid than enemy these days. But now was not the time or the place for those thoughts. It would need very careful consideration. Going against his brothers would not be an easy or a safe decision.

"But now is the time for all our planning to bear fruit. Come closer, my brothers, we will all have our parts to play. Here is what we shall do..."


	2. Distractions

"Are you certain?" Rumplestiltskin asked Belle as they finished their breakfast. It was a lovely morning in May, not particularly hot yet, though it had been unseasonably warm for Storybrooke and Belle was, at least as far as her husband was concerned, a beautiful seven and a half months pregnant with their child.

Belle laughed. "Rumple, I'm fine. I am just going to potter around the house, put away the last of the things from the shower in the baby's room, now the paint is dry. But why don't I come meet you at the shop for lunch?" she asked.

"Are you certain the walk isn't..."  he started. His overprotective instincts had been on since the moment he had found out, though for Belle's sake he had been trying very hard, to rein them in.

"It's fine, Rumple, for the gods sake, in the winter you didn't want me walking because of ice and snow. I need to get my exercise. It's good for the baby, especially now that working in the garden is no longer comfortable."

Her husband just nodded. It was hard but their only significant fight had involved his over protectiveness (and ended with him sleeping on the cot in the shop for two days before she would forgive him). He had been a lot more careful since (and better about not getting caught). "I will see you for lunch then," he said, kissing her and making a note to have Dove drive by, just in case.

"I want to stop by the library anyway," she told him. "I need to check on a couple of the boys' progress." He tried not to roll his eyes. It was Belle's first week on half time from her job after having a false alarm the week before. Her doctor had said there was nothing to worry about, but suggested she slow down a little.

"Lawrence Roberts can handle it well enough, you said so yourself," Rumple reminded her.

"And he can. I just need to check the work they've turned in. I promised him I would continue writing the lesson plans. I'll pick up the folders and let you drop them off tomorrow, if that helps."

"Aye, love," he said. Honestly, he didn't fault her at all for that. She was working to bring the Lost Boys up to speed, which had proved harder on those from realms like their's, where technology was practically nonexistent. Since Bae had spent a good long time there, and said more than once how helpful it would have been when he got back to this world, he had been in full support. Rumplestiltskin dragged himself from the table reluctantly, carrying the dishes to the sink, before kissing Belle again. "Now, you don't overdo it, and call Dove or Bae, even Leroy, if you want the furniture moved," he teased just a bit. She had rearranged the nursery several times before she was content.

"You are the one who insisted on moving the cot so it was better aligned with her stars," she reminded him.

"Be that as it may, I don't want you trying to move anything."

"I'm not going to move any furniture," she promised, collecting a last kiss as she walked him out and started setting the kitchen to rights.

 

Gold turned the sign on the pawnshop door and looked out, trying to decide if he needed to sweep the front walk. Storybrooke looked absolutely normal, which should have been a warning. Instead, he went and sorted through the work he had for the day. He had every intention of taking off time when the baby came, which meant he would prefer to have everything either dealt with or at least organised.

Bae had agreed to handle the rental properties and their repairs with Dove, so that left him with an antique clock to restore, a cameo that needed the clasp mended, and the paperwork to file for two families who wanted to officially adopt the Lost Boys they had been fostering. Honestly, they would all have been content to do it the old way, by standing up in the center of town (or in this case, the town council meeting), announcing their intent and seeing if anyone objected, but if they decided to remain in this realm or wanted to leave town, it all needed processing. This world ran on its paperwork.

He'd just decided to handle the paperwork first when the front door was thrown open. Rumplestiltskin looked up sharply. In general he hated it when people abused his door, on the other hand, as a man with a very pregnant wife, he was a bit more on edge than usual.

It was David, which wasn't as comforting as it could have been. "What..." he started, before the man, who was clearly distressed, interrupted him.

"The convent, it's on fire. You need to come."

"Bloody fairies, destroying my property," he cursed. "But why should I come, dearie?" He'd gotten his footing back now that he knew it was nothing to do with Belle. "You should be after the fire brigade, not me."

"They are already there. Chief says it's a magical fire and he's afraid to try to put it out without an expert, and the fairies are trapped inside the building. We need to hurry."

Rumplestiltskin ignored the first dozen responses that came to him. His heart wasn't much into the feud with them anymore, besides, Belle would not be best pleased. He sighed and nodded. "Just to protect my property," he told the Prince, who, wisely, just nodded as he turned the sign.

When they arrived at the building, he saw why the fire chief said it was magical. The building was not burning, or rather, it was, but it appeared nothing was being consumed. They were turning hoses on it, but it seemed to move with a will of its own, surrounding the fairies, and trapping them in an upstairs room. Perhaps fairies were the only thing it could consume. Living fire...he felt a memory tickle at the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite reach it. For now, he needed to find a way to get the fairies out, (gods, rescuing fairies, what had his life turned into?) and then combat the fire, assuming...

"Rumplestiltskin, glad to see you sir," the fire brigade commander said, shaking his hand with great respect.

"Don't mention it, dearie," he replied. "Really, don't." Then with a *poof* of purple smoke, he disappeared.

 

Belle was sorting through a small stack of baby clothes from the shower that Snow had insisted on throwing. As it gave the Princess something to organise other than Emma's upcoming wedding, and kept her from driving the sheriff mental, Belle allowed it with good grace. All the thank you notes had been written and mailed, all that remained now was to put everything away. She had already selected a couple of newborn things and put them in the bag for the the hospital. Now Belle separated out things by size and was just putting them in the newly settled dresser when the door bell rang.

She closed the drawer and made her way down the stairs, wondering who would be coming to the front door. Belle opened the door with a smile once she realised who it was. "Oh, hello, I wasn't expecting to see you this..."

"There's a package for you," the visitor said quickly, pressing the box on her.

"Oh. Thank you," she said. "I'll just..."

"No need," he said and waved as he left.

"Odd," Belle said aloud in the empty doorway. Then she opened the box.

 

Rumplestiltskin smelled of smoke and fairies. It had taken a rather clever bit of magic, if he did say so himself (and he did), but the fairies were saved and more importantly, his building was fine, save for a bit of water. At the moment, he really wanted to go straight home for a shower, but first there was something a bit more important than that to do, find out what had started the fire. It was still bothering him and he was almost certain he'd seen or heard of something like this before. One thing he knew, he'd not make it back to the shop anytime soon. This was probably going to take some time. He pulled out his cell phone and called Bae to head her off. He didn't want to worry her.

 

"Hey Belle," Bae said cautiously, pulling out his cell phone. Something was wrong. The front door was open and there was a box on the floor in the hallway. More importantly, there was no sign of Belle. Part of him thought he should probably make a thorough search first. Worrying his father was never a good idea, and when it came to Belle, he was already on edge. On the other hand, it was better to have him not needed. "Papa, I need you to come home, now," he said as the phone picked up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the response, I am glad people are enjoying this. I just kind of needed to get it started. It's that way sometimes. Please, let me know how you feel about it.


	3. Attack

Regina was sitting in her home office, talking to Sidney Glass, when the phone rang. Despite the changes, the former genie was still as devoted as ever, perhaps even more so, and she was accustomed to his presence. "Yes, sheriff," she said. "The convent, why don't you call...oh." The former mayor paused, while Sidney, still the town's only newspaperman, looked on avidly, considering the possibilities for a story. "I would hope so. If it's not a coincidence, you had better hope that she is not hurt..." The door bell rang and Regina pointed to the phone and waved to Sidney to get it for her.

Of course he was dying to find out what was happening and to whom, but he could get his answers faster if she didn't have to take time to answer the door. He opened it and was greeted by the postman. No one was ever surprised to find Sidney at the Mayor's house. Instead, they exchanged hellos while the box changed hands, and he closed the door.

"Yes, if it turns out something has happened, I'll give you some free advice. Stay out of it, stay behind him, and pray he finds them soon, or he may very well level the town...Oh, I assure you, I am completely aware of what he's capable of. You don't want to see it."

Sidney returned with the box and mouthed 'postman', at her. He set the box down, miming opening it. Regina just nodded distractedly. The attack on the convent was strange and combined with...well they didn't actually know anything was happening at Gold's, just that something was wrong, something that wasn't her going into labour, or at least she was certain that would have been the first thing that Bae would have said.

Sidney pulled the tape off and was reaching into the box. "What's this?" he asked quietly, as he picked it up. Regina looked up distractedly from her phone call, struck by the sight of the brown box. It wasn't the the same, not exactly, the loopy writing not even a little bit like the plain block print of the 'present' she had received at Christmas, but suddenly she felt something...fear.

"Sidney, don't..." she cried, but it was too late, the former magic mirror was holding up a chess piece, a white pawn. Then he collapsed to the floor, before dissolving into a grey smoke, the chess piece rolling across the now empty floor. "Sidney!"

 

Rumplestiltskin cursed this world in general and Storybrooke in particular as David Nolan drove through the town at what was definitely well over the legal speed limit, urged on by the panicked, and incredibly dangerous, sorcerer beside him. It was just far too magically taxing to transport himself that far, especially not when he wasn't sure what he would find or need at the other end.

"I'm sure it's...." the prince tried but one look was enough to convince him that Rumplestiltskin was not in one of his safer moods. Instead he turned to the road, focused on getting them there in one piece as fast as was possible.

"Papa," Bae came running out to the truck as it was still pulling up.

"What's happened?" Rumplestiltskin demanded. "Where is Belle?"

"I don't know, Papa. When I got here, I found the front door open. I looked inside, there is a box on the floor and something that looks like a powder all around. I was afraid to disturb anything, in case it was magic. I called, but got no answer, so I called you, then I went around. I looked in the windows, but I couldn't see anything. Then I went in through the back door. I didn't see her, she's not in the kitchen, or the dining room or..."

"It's all right, Bae," he reassured his son. The younger man was clearly almost as concerned as his father. "You did the right thing." He looked through the door at the powder scattered across the floor. "Definitely magic," he growled low. With a wave, it gathered itself up into a bottle that came out of thin air. "Now, we need to find Belle, search the entire house," he said, his eyes almost black.

David and Bae looked at each other knowingly. If Belle was not in the house somewhere, if she was injured, or worse, there would be hell to pay. "I'll go check the library," Bae said immediately.

"Why don't I check the next floor?" David said, anxious both to be helpful and to be out of the firing range.

"Don't forget the closets.  If something happened, she might be hiding," Rumplestitlskin said. "I'll check this floor again, and the cellar. If nothing else, I am sure I can put together something to track her. I just hope she isn't out on the street, wandering."

"If anyone sees her, they will call," David said, hoping he was being reassuring. "Once I'm done, if we don't find anything, I'll call Snow, we can put together a search party." The sorcerer just nodded, already heading for the next room.

 

Across the street, in a dark van, the man watched the man and the...well, whatever he was, for all that he walked like a man. From the speed and the panic he could see everything was going to plan. He picked up the cell phone from the seat beside him. "Package delivered. Orders?"

"Stay where you are and report," the voice said shortly, before clicking off. The man dropped the phone back onto the seat, wondering how the others were going. But he had done his part. Now he just needed to wait and see.

 

"Belle," he called out, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. If she was frightened, the last thing she needed was to know how disturbed he was. This could not be a coincidence. He searched the entire ground floor, checking everywhere that it was possible for his Belle to be. Then he made his way down into the cellar. At the foot of the stairs were two doors. One led to his laboratory, and that one was sealed with magic, a precaution against anyone, including his love, accidentally getting into it. The other door led to the rest of the cellar, which held the laundry room as well as storage. The door was opened just a crack and he entered carefully.

Bae and David finished their search quickly and returned together to the ground floor, when Bae's phone rang. It was Emma. "Hey Em," he answered hurriedly.

"Have you found out what happened?" she asked.

"Not yet," he said, holding the phone up so David could hear too. "We..."

"Listen, this is not isolated. Sidney Glass opened a box that was meant for Regina. I'm not exactly certain what happened, she wasn't in a good place to tell me, but..."

"But this is not a coincidence," he filled in, grabbing David as they hurried from room to room, looking now for the sorcerer. "Papa," he called, still holding the phone.

"Down here, Bae," the voice came from down in the cellar. "I've found her."

"Em, I'll call you back. Papa's found her."

"I'll be right there. I just..." she started, but the phone has already hung up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this, and please, please leave comments. It really helps me keep going not to mention tells me what I am doing right (or wrong). Hope you are enjoying. 
> 
> BTW, if you haven't read 'Holiday Cheer', you might want to check it out in reference to what happened to Regina.


	4. Fallout

"Papa?" Bae asked as he made his way down the cellar steps.

"Shhh." He heard the voice coming from the laundry/storage room. "It's all right, sweetheart," he continued softly. It took him a moment to locate them in the cellar room, but as he reached for the light switch he heard his father's sharp hiss. In the far corner, he saw his father sitting incongruously on the floor next to what, at first glance, appeared to be a pile of winter bedding. It was only looking closer that he realised that there was a face peering out from the pile, familiar blue eyes looking at him distrustfully

"Belle?" He asked softly. A sound that might have been a growl came from the pile of blankets.

"It's all right, sweetheart, it's Bae, my son," his father said, but all the young man could see was the mop of hair, and he heard a soft animal sound.

"Papa, what's..." Bae started. This time he was more than a little shocked. Belle looked different, there was something...feral in the way she stared at him.

"Careful son, I don't know exactly what that magic did, but..."

"What is she..." David Nolan spoke up as he edged his way into the room. Belle growled from her nest and drew back in further into her corner.

"Out, Nolan.  Now!" the sorcerer ordered sharply, and the prince went back out the door. After what seemed like forever,he had but was probably only five minutes, the sorcerer managed to coax her back out, though only far enough to brush her head against him, rather like a cat seeking affection. Bae had backed himself up some and waited while his father settled her into his arms, calming her. He knew that it was only his love and concern that was keeping the rage in check, that and the fear of frightening her further. Someone was going to pay handsomely for this.

Slowly the sorcerer, having settled her head against him, waved the young man forward slowly. He got closer this time, before stopping and getting down to sit on the floor. It felt weird, which considering where they lived was saying something, but here was his father and Belle, who was acting like a half wild animal. At least she seemed to recognise his father, but what had happened was beyond him, and he was pretty certain that she wasn't going to be able to tell them.

"Belle, love," his father said, stroking her long hair. "You know Bae." He urged his son forward with a gesture to hold out a hand. He felt ridiculous to be honest, but right now, all he could do was follow his father's lead.

"Just me, Belle," he said quietly. Cautiously, she crept closer, and gave him a sniff. Then with a distrustful sniff, she retreated back to her husband, this time slowly, and laying her head in his lap. But still she watched him. Her looks were not hostile but neither did she appear to trust him.

Quietly Bae turned to his father. "What happened?" he asked, keeping his voice down.

"At a guess, whatever the spell was, it went wrong, but I need to analyze that powder we found and figure out what it was supposed to do. First though, I need to get Belle off this floor and up to the bedroom. She seemed to have followed some kind of nesting or denning impulse."

"If she feels safe, won't it be better just to..."

"I'm not leaving my wife curled up on the floor like an animal," Rumplestiltskin snapped. Belle started and he spent a few moments calming her, and himself. It wasn't Bae's fault. There was no way to explain it to him, but this was reminding him too much of the dungeon he had been held in, not to mention his own dungeon, the one he'd thrown her into in the Dark Castle. He couldn't leave her down here. But getting her out was going to be difficult. Still, he needed to do it. Once she was safe, then it would be time to figure out what had happened and fix it, then he was going to track down the person or persons responsible and make the remainder of their short lives as miserable as possible. It would be an object lesson. Going after the fairies was one things. That was something he could understand, he'll, he resisted the urge himself on a just about weekly basis, but this was his wife and his unborn child.

 

Unfortunately, the attempt to convince his love to move upstairs was a spectacular failure. It seemed a simple enough thing. First, Bae took David and they went outside. Belle had been willing to allow Bae to stay in the cellar, but not to get any closer, and Rumplestiltskin suspected that while he smelled at least somewhat familiar, in her current mentally animalistic state and pregnant, she was unlikely to trust any man that was not him. Slowly, he had gotten her to her feet (and him to his, which had been somewhat more difficult) and managed to get her as far as the kitchen, but somehow, one look at the kitchen, usually one of her favourite rooms, and she had turned and fled, dragging him with her.

That left him with two choices, one was to give her a sleeping potion and carry her up, the other was to leave her where she was, and make it more comfortable. The second seemed less likely to traumatise her further. Actually, he was reluctant to use magic even around her, unsure how she would react, but he managed to urge her into the other corner and then produced a proper bed (actually he'd just magically relocated the small four poster from the guest room, leaving a pile of storage boxes in its place), and piled it with a feather duvet and the quilts from their bed upstairs, thinking it would reassure her. Then the sorcerer had hung the whole thing with dark fabric that was see through, so she could look out, and added about half the pillows in the house. Now his beloved at least had a comfortable cave.

Finished, Rumplestiltskin looked over at the job he had done, Belle seemed to like it once she had been coaxed into it. But she wanted him to stay with her, and he had no desire to leave her. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. He had work to do, magic to analyse and figure out so that he could reverse it, and get his wife back.

 

Thomas, Master of the Order of the True Way sat in his office and waited for the reports. The attack on the convent had been a success, at least in that it accompliced its purpose, making sure that Rumplestiltskin was on the far side of town when their little 'gift' was delivered to his wife. Soon she would flee from him in terror as the spell cut through the magic and showed him for the beast he was. Once she turned against him, the rest of the town would follow and with his temper, he was likely to do something dramatic and violent, that always helped.

Then there were the rest. Regina should already have received her own package, not what she had ordered, and was probably even now wondering how she was going to go on without her powers. Those were, of course, the most important ones. _It is a pity that none of the fairies was actually destroyed by the fire,_ he reflected. _That would have made it all so much easier. But there is time for that later._ Then there were the rest to be dealt with. The Savior would need to be questioned rigorously at best, to determine the nature of her magic and being her to the right path. If not, she would have to be gotten rid of, along with her husband. Also the two renegade fairies, that mermaid, the realm hopper, and the werewolves, of course. Oh, people would complain at first, but soon he would have the entire town back under the proper control of the order, and if Snow White and her husband interfered, well there were plenty of other royal families in town. Not Prince Eric, a man who married a creature of the sea was unfit, but there was always Princess Abigail, or Thomas and Cinderella. They, along with Thomas' father, knew all about the pernicious nature of magic in the wrong hands.

"Master Thomas, new reports," a man said as the cleric waved him in. Soon.

 

"It's not just the fairies and Belle," Emma Swan was saying when Rumplestiltskin came into the kitchen. He'd managed to get Belle settled though she didn't want him to leave, nor did she want to accept Bae staying with her. Actually his son was sitting next to her imp made cave. He'd tried to sit on the edge of the bed, but that was further than she was willing to go. "Gold, another chess piece was sent to Regina."

"She didn't..." he started.

"No, she was on the phone with me. She was expecting a package, so she didn't think anything of it, when Sidney started to open it. Or at least she didn't until she realised that it was hand addressed from Storybrooke."

"But she is all right?" he asked. His relationship with Regina had always been complicated.

"She is. Sidney isn't, or rather, we have no idea. He disappeared."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the response. I hope to deliever, and please, keep the comments coming. 
> 
> Also, remember the check out the Espensen Awards on Tumblr. Writers need encouragement.


	5. Face the Face

"Which piece was it?" Gold asked, looking around the kitchen. It appeared that David had left and now he had the sheriff to deal with. "I don't have time to worry about Sidney. I need to fix what is wrong with Belle. I do see a pattern in all this though."

"It was a white pawn. Regina will bring it over when she's done...doing something. Once she calmed down, she said she was going to her vault to check his mirror?"

The sorcerer nodded distractedly. "I need to find the journal. It has the information on the pieces and what they are meant to do. I do not have time for this," he cursed. "Regina is thinking he might have returned to his mirror. The important thing right now is that there have been attacks directly on the fairies, Belle, and Regina. That implies that someone is going after people with magic, or those close to them."

"Are you sure that they were after Belle and not you?" Emma asked.

"Almost positive. Belle wouldn't open something addressed to me, and actually the box wasn't marked, which means she knew the person who gave it to her. Sometimes people bring things they are unsure of, though usually to the shop. Also, the timing is no coincidence. In fact, I am inclined to believe that the attack on the convent was meant to get me out of the way. I need..."

  
"What can I do?" Emma asked.

"Concern yourself with the town. Anyone who uses magic could be a target, start with making certain they are okay. Then there are those whose very nature is magical, like the fairies. Now, I need to take care of my wife."

"What if there are other attacks?" Emma asked desperately.

"I've no doubt there will be. This was a planned and coordinated effort. However, that is not..."

"Rumplestiltskin, I need your help," she said. "What do I do?"

The sorcerer sighed. "If I can unravel the magic, I will have some idea of who is behind it, maybe I need...What I need is someone to do research for me. That is usually Belle."

'What about Regina?" Emma asked.

"Regina is going to be busy. I would bet she is very interested in getting Sidney back and she will need my help for that," he said distractedly, running a hand through his hair. It was hard to think past his worry about Belle. On the other hand, he wanted the person behind it. Helping his daughter in law was the best way. She was genuinely good at her job. Finally he made a decision. "Check on all the magic users in town and their families. Best check on the others as well, Astrid, Tinkerbelle, Anton, anyone you can think of who is an actual magical being. I don't know how far this goes. The convent was undamaged, but I would tell the Blue Fairy to lock it down, ward it away from all except the sisterhood. Malificent is probably safe, butyou might want to drop a word to Jefferson as well. The problem is, how far are they willing to go?"

"Basically, I need to check on half of the town. Great."

"Why don't you use your father and whoever else he can get in touch with? Being a princess has to be good for something, after all."

"I guess," she said a little doubtfully, but he wasn't wrong. "I'd best get started."

"Emma," Gold said, softly. It was a rare occasion when he used her first name. "When we find whoever is behind this, they are mine."

The sheriff thought about that for a moment. "We will have to see, though if they have more magic like what we've seen, there may be no choice," she said, turning away towards the door.

"One more thing," he said as she reached the door. "Be careful. You are a target too. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

Emma left and he was just about to return to the cellar when there was a knock at the back door. He looked and found Dove waiting. The man was always where he needed to be.

 

"We need to start on phase 2 immediately," Thomas said to the three brothers assembled before him. "We cannot leave them time enough to regroup. Start with the hospital and the bake shop, then the house on the hill, you know what you are after. Those two renegade fairies should be easy enough, but the Hatter, he's wily."

"What about the school?" one of the brothers asked. "That wooden puppet is surely enough unnatural."

"I'm saving the school for later. Once we have the major players all wrapped up, people will come around to our way of thinking. Fairies and dwarves can be controlled, but the renegades need to be taken care of. Now, the werewolves are going to be difficult, though I think the old one doesn't shift anymore. Still, once we have her granddaughter, she will be sure to do exactly what the Order wants. That will have to wait until after closing. Everyone knows that Ruby goes out to the Rabbit Hole of an evening, when she's not running free. Do we know what is happening in Rumplestiltskin's house..."

"Master, master."  Another brother ran into the room bowing distractedly. "The Evil Queen was just seen speeding along Main Street."

"So, it appears our little trap failed to get her. Do you know where she is going?" he asked.

"Brother James is following her, she's heading towards the old cemetery. I don't know how she managed to get out of the trap. The package was delivered right enough."

"It's possible that someone else opened it. We need to find out what happened. Someone call Brother Robert. It is time for him to do his duty and find out what is going on inside the Gold house. If the trap missed Regina, it must have gotten someone else, and we need to know who. Well, go on, you all know your targets. In all likelihood, Regina will turn up there soon enough. She is close to the Dark One, she will go to him."

"Yes Sir," they all said as they hurried out the door.

 

Regina drove through Storybrooke probably faster than was legal, but Emma Swan could just give her a ticket for all she cared. Not that Emma didn't have more important things to do right now. The chess piece was boxed, having been handled carefully with magic proof gloves. She had learned her lesson before. This had been very deliberate though. Looking over the packaging, it was clear that it had been wrapped in such a way as to make it impossible to see what it was without completely unwrapping and coming into contact with it.

After Regina had recovered from the shock, she had started to think, really think, about what had happened to her faithful Sidney. Regina genuinely cared for the former genie. Oh, she had never loved him the way he loved her, but then she wasn't entirely sure she was made for that kind of love. But he was important to her and she was worried. Genies were practically immortal though, so the question ws, had he gone back to the mirror, or possibly his lamp?

While she was waiting for Emma Swan she had checked every mirror in the house, but found him in none of them. Now she was rushing to her vault. It was spelled, so it was possible that if he was in his original mirror, he couldn't get out into others, or he was too disoriented. If not, she knew his lamp was at his house, and she had the keys. Then it was off to Rumplestiltskin's house to figure out how to reverse it.

It didn't take her long to find the mirror, and the very confused looking genie inside it. "What...what happened?" he asked her. "How did I get back in here?"

"That package, it was a magical artifact, related to the one that I got for Christmas," she told him. "Something serious is happening in town. Someone did something to Belle, and there was the convent fire. But right now, I need to take you over to Rumplestiltskin's house. He should have a good idea of what happened."

"Do you think he can get me out of here?" the former genie asked.

"I am sure he can figure it out," she reassured him, hoping she was telling the truth. "Now, I just have to get you out of here." She picked up the mirror awkwardly, it wasn't actually a good size for carrying, certainly not out of a mausoleum in heels, but then she'd not been expecting this when she got dressed this morning.

Carefully, she maneuvered the heavy mirror and it's contents out to her car and buckled it into the second seat. Hopefully, by the time she got to the imp's house, he would have some good answers. Regina didn't know what was going on, but for the first time since the incident at Christmas, she was afraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your wonderful comments. Please continue to read and to comment, and let me know what you like about this. Sorry, it's been a rough day, and I didn't get nearly enough time to get all I wanted done today. 
> 
> On the other hand, Another World has been nominated for Best Crossover in The Espensen Awards. Please make sure if you have a tumblr, you go over there and read and vote for the best stories.


	6. Trouble hangs around

Emma pushed the yellow Bug to go faster. Three attacks was just too much to be a coincidence, and they had no idea how far this was going to spread. She had taken Rumplestiltskin's advice though. Even now, her father was on his way back to the convent. Dealing with Blue twice in one day was more than she could deal with. After the attempt on Belle she had asked the principal, to lock down the school, and Mary Margaret to make certain that extra attention was paid to Henry, Grace and August, as well, and any other children she could think of with a magical connection. Her, she was on her way to see Jefferson. He was a lot better than he had been, but she found it easier to deal with him in person, fewer distractions.

The first thing she noticed as she rang the bell was a package sitting on the mat. Plain brown boxes were starting to make her nervous right now. Emma looked at the box and then pounded on the door, stepping carefully around it.

"Sheriff," Jefferson said anxiously as he opened the door. "Is everything all right? Grace?" He was half dressed, trousers unbuttoned and low on his hips, a shirt thrown over and a towel in his arms, his hair a mass of dark, dripping curls.

 _He's not half bad_ , Emma thought. _Except for the occasionally still crazy part._ Not that she was looking, she loved Bae, but she wasn't dead. "Grace is fine. There have been a couple of incidents though. Did you order something?"

"What?" He asked. "You aren't making much sense, and I should know."

"This box.  Did you order something, maybe online?"

Jefferson looked at the box blankly. "I don't use those computer order things. Grace says I'm hopeless with the machine. Why the concern over my mail?" he asked, reaching for the box. Emma grabbed his arm.

"There were three attacks this morning. This is important, Jefferson. Two were delivered, at least ostensibly by the mail carrier."

"Who?" the man asked, straightening up, all his attention on her.

"The first was a magical fire at the convent, then Regina was sent a package, but it got Sidney instead. She's gone to Gold's. The third..." This was going to be hard, she knew Jefferson was a friend to Rumplestiltskin and Belle.

"The third?" he asked sharply, sensing trouble.

"Belle. They did something to Belle."

"Let me finish getting dressed," he said, suddenly all business. "Grace..."

"The school is locked down and my mother is keeping a special eye on those children who..."

"Understood. Can you have her bring Grace to Rumple's house when school is over? I give my permission. He's going to need help. I had better take that box with me too. If it's anther unpleasant surprise, he will know how to deal with it."

The sheriff agreed and pulled out her phone. The school would release children only to their parents or guardians in a situation like this, but in Henry's case, Mary Margaret was authorized as his grandmother, and for Grace, they just needed permission.

Jefferson returned, his damp hair looked like it had seen half a hairbrush, and he'd finished buttoning his shirt and added a waistcoat that looked like he'd grabbed it without attention to which one it was. He'd also grabbed his hatbox, and a funny pair of gloves she recognised as dragon hide. "We'd best take two cars. I'm sure you have things..." He waved vaguely.

Emma nodded and headed towards the Bug. "Sheriff, have you checked with the post office? There might be more boxes, perhaps you can get to them before they are delievered. I can say that Regina and I have the same postman, you might ask him. He would probably have a good idea where they came from. Storybrooke only has the one post office, and two mailmen."

"Mail carriers," Emma corrected distractedly, wondering why she hadn't thought of that already.

"No, they are both men," Jefferson assured her as he slid the box into the trunk of his own car. Then he came around, taking the gloves off and settled the hat box carefully in the seat and followed the yellow Bug down the hill.

 

"Hey Tink," a voice called the fairy as she was heading back into the hospital after helping roll Hansel out to his father's car. The boy was recovering from a tonsillectomy that had been scheduled for after the school broke for the holidays, but had been moved because of a sudden flare up.

The Green Fairy enjoyed the time she spent at the hospital helping out. Actually she loved just about everything about this new world.

"Jessie," she said happily. "Didn't think I'd be seeing you today. Aren't you off?"

"I am," he told her. "Actually, I stopped to see if I could find you. You're good with plants. I got this one for my new girlfriend, but I think I did something wrong and her birthday is today. Do you think you could..." He waved a little, looking both embarrassed and a little guilty.

Tink smiled and shook her head a little. "All right, just this once," she told him. "Only because it's an emergency. But I have to hurry, I'm on story duty in the children's wing in..." She looked at her watch. "Ten minutes. And next time, take me with you to buy the plants."

"Great, agreed," he told her. "It's over here, in the van."

 

Regina pulled into the driveway and shopped the car with enough force that the mirror was thrown against the seatbelt. "I'll go get..." she started.

"I'm not going anywhere," the mirror assured her. To be honest, Sidney was feeling slightly nauseated in addition to the confusion, not to mention the terror. Being trapped in a magic mirror while Regina drove full speed through Storybrooke with him still readjusting to his condition was only slightly less terrifying than being back in the mirror in the first place. Fortunately, Regina didn't talk while she was concentrating on the road.

 

Regina knocked on the door and was greeted almost immediately by Dove, who, she noticed, slipped a pistol back into its holster when he recognised her. Rumplestiltskin wasn't taking any chances. "He's in his workshop," the man said, with little expression.

"I've got the artifact. Sidney's in the car, bring him down," she ordered, falling back on old habits before she caught herself. "Please? I need to see..." Dove just nodded impassibly. Very little needed to be said.

When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she saw the doors to both rooms open. Regina was curious. She stuck her head inside. Bae was sitting in a chair next to an out of place looking four poster bed draped in black. Suddenly, she heard a growl coming from behind the curtains. Bae snapped his head around.

"Regina, get out. Now!" he ordered as the growling got louder.

"What...I..."

"Go," he shouted as Rumplestiltskin appeared behind her.

"Lab, now," the sorcerer said shortly.

"Papa," Bae cried, the only warning as a figure burst from behind the hangings. In an instant, Rumplestiltksin was in front of her, catching the small figure, while shoving Regina back.

"Belle, it's all right," he said gently, gathering the struggling figure to him. But she was still trying to get around him, rage in her eyes. "Regina," he ordered sharply. That unstuck her feet from the ground and she backed out of the room and made for the next, and some place to sit down before she fell down in shock. She and Belle had not always got on, the woman had plenty of reason to hate her, but recently they had been doing better.

Moments later, Bae came to join her. "Calming her is best left to my father," he said. "She tolerates my presence, barely, but that's it."

"What..." the former queen asked, shaking just a little.

"That's what the spell did to her. I've got nothing, except that Papa is almost certain that whatever it was supposed to do, that wasn't it." He turned in time to see Dove enter the room with a mirror which appeared to contain Sidney Glass. "Same?" he asked. Regina nodded. "Great, not only is whoever planned this organised, they are incompetant too."

"Yes, which makes them even more dangerous. Someone could get killed purely by accident."

 

David Nolan finished at the convent and headed back to town, having watched the shimmer of magic engulf the convent. On the one hand, he understood Rumplestiltskin's idea. The convent was a big target, and several of the fairies had been injured by the fire, if whoever was behind this wanted to take another shot. On the other hand, he was wondering if they couldn't have been useful. Not that the Blue Fairy and the Dark One worked well together, they didn't. They had just gotten as far as tolerance and not actively trying to kill or destroy one another.

He was just getting back to town when his cell phone went off. He pulled the truck over and answered it. No point in driving further when he might have to turn around again. It was Emma, of course.

"I'm just coming back. The convent is locked down," he told her.

"Good. School's locked down, Jefferson is headed to Gold's house to help. He had a suspicious package on his doorstep, too," she told him.

"He didn't..."

"No, apparently he was in the shower when they knocked. He took it with him. But he mentioned the post office. I'm headed over there now. Do you think you can warn Astrid and anyone else you can think of?"

"I'll make the rounds," he reassured her.

"Good. Gawain is out looking for the postman. If you see either of them, stop them and try to see if there are any suspicious packages, or if they remember delivering any?"

"Not a problem. If I find any?" he asked.

"I guess take them to Gold. It's what we have. He's not going to be happy if there are a lot of them, though," Emma said uncertainly as she rang off.

"Great. It will be just my luck to find him. Nothing I look forward to like being the guy who delivers a bunch of potentially dangerous packages to a temperamental imp, whose pregnant wife has already been hit by one. I hope Snow will still love me as a snail," he said to the empty air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who is reading and enjoying. Please remember the comment button. 
> 
> Also, remember, tomorrow is the day to vote on Tumblr for The Espensen Awards. Lots of great fics, so please check it out. My own Another World, is up for Best Crossover.


	7. Trouble rents a house near me

When Jefferson arrived at the house, he was directed down the stairs with a warning to go straight to the laboratory. "Well, this is quite the little gathering," the man said as he took in Regina, Rumplestiltksin, and the face of Sidney Glass back in his mirror.

"Jefferson," Rumple said. "What are you doing here? Not that I am sorry to see you, but..."

"The lovely Emma dispatched me, much as one does the cavalry. In the process, she discovered a box on my mat. Apparently, it was fortunate that I was in the shower when the postman rang, twice. How is Belle?"

"She has been affected by a spell. Between my protection charm and the child, it went wrong. I need to see what I can do to reverse it. Am I to assume you brought the box that was sent to you?" he asked.

"I have, and the sheriff is off with her own foot soldiers to find the messengers and try to prevent more mysterious packages from getting into more other unsuspecting hands."

"Can we get on with this?" Regina snapped.

"Don't get your royal unmentionables in a twist, your ex-maj," Jefferson said insolently. "Looks like the mirror is back on the wall," he greeted Sidney obliquely. He'd never been keen on the genie.

"Hatter," the mirror acknowledged.

"You lost the luck I found," Jefferson said. "Do you know why he's back in the mirror?"

"The piece that was sent to Regina," Rumplestiltskin said, nodding towards a magic proof box. "After what happened at Christmas, I reread the journal entries of my former self, the one who created the chess set. He had a very twisted sense of humour."

"And you don't?" Regina asked sarcastically.

"Well, I've never locked someone into a chess game where any move could prove fatal or worse."

"What's worse..." the magic mirror started to ask, but a look at the imp's face was enough to convince him he didn't actually want to know.

"The pieces are all spelled, to a greater or lesser degree. Some, like the pawn you received are harmless, more or less, to most people. My son could handle it with no effect whatsoever, or my wife."

"What does it do and how did it result in...well, that," Jefferson asked.

"It takes away a person's magic," the sorcerer explained.

"But Sidney..." Regina began.

"Sidney does not have magic, he _is_ magical, like the dwarves or the fairies. It is a part of his essential nature, do you understand? It couldn't be taken away from him, not without killing him. Just one of the amusing little pitfalls my predecessor was counting on."

"It couldn't take his magic, because it was made to take the magic and leave the person, separate them," Regina said, realization dawning. "But since it couldn't take his magic, it backfired and took him from human..."

"Exactly. Now, I have something much bigger and more important to deal with," he said, looking over his worktable.

"How can we help?" Jefferson asked. Regina started to say something, but the portal jumper's look stopped her.

Rumplestiltksin looked at them, thinking. Oh, he knew Regina was doing it because she knew the faster her got Belle back, the faster he could deal with her problem, but it was nice to have a little help.

"And I," said the mirror said. "Not sure how I can help," he admitted, looking at his frame. "But if you can find something..."

"Unfortunately, I moved a lot of my things to the shop because of Belle, but I can't work there now. I can't leave her," he paused and tried to organise a plan. "I need supplies."

"I'll go," Jefferson volunteered. "I can get them."

"Grace..."

"Mary Margaret is bringing her and Henry here when school lets out. We don't..."

"Yes, yes. Best take Regina too. You'll get finished faster." He was making a list while he considered everything. "Have Bae step in," he told Jefferson. "He's next door, keeping an eye on Belle. And Jefferson, call form the door, it's safer."

 

With the two of the dispatched, he set Bae up with a pair of dragonhide gloves to open the box Jefferson had brought. "If it's meant to respond to magic, you are safe. If it's controlled by contact, you have the gloves," he explained. His son nodded and slit the tape on the top of the box.

"What is it?" Sidney asked, trying to find an angle from where he'd been hung on a convenient nail where he could see.

Bae reached in and carefully unwrapped the contents gently with his gloved hands. "Well, it looks like another chess piece, white rook," he said, giving it a closer look.

Rumplestiltskin cursed roundly, even while he was opening the magic proof box that already held the white pawn.

"What is it, Papa?" Bae asked.

"Well, we now know two things. The first is that someone has all or part of the chess set, but we suspected that already. That is not the dangerous part."

"What could be more dangerous?" the mirror asked, sharply.

"The rook would have slammed the handler back to the last realm they had been in."

"It would have sent Jefferson back to Wonderland," Bae said in horror. "That can't be..."

"Exactly. Not only does he or she have the pieces, they know what each one does. As far as I know, only myself, or should I say, my selves, knew that. Well, us and the clerics who took them."

They stood in silence, each locked in their own thoughts, as Rumplestiltskin closed the box and locked it.

 

Regina was sitting uncomfortably in the passenger seat of the Hatter's car as they rode towards the center of town and the shop. One the one hand, Jefferson had been right, his car was larger, not to mention parked behind her's, and yes, considering, it made sense that they not split up. It didn't make riding with a madman driving any more comfortable, especially when he slammed on the brakes.

"What's that?" he asked, before she could give him a piece of her mind. Regina followed the direction of his finger. The sheriff's single patrol car was sitting on the side of the road next to the turn off for the old toll bridge. That would have been strange enough without the lights flashing and the driver's side door open. "We had best... He turned the car before she could respond. Instead, Regina reached for her cell phone. She had a bad feeling about this.

"I'll go see what's happened," Jefferson said as she waited for the phone to pick up.

"What about..." she started but the Hatter pulled dragonhide gloves out. Regina nodded, but she was unfastening her seat belt with her other hand.

"Regina, what..." Emma started.

"It's Gawaine, something's happened to him," Jefferson called. "Regina, I think it's magic, can you..."

"Get to the troll bridge turn off," the former queen snapped into the phone. "And best call the ambulance. I need to call Rumplestiltskin and tell him we might be longer than expected."

 

Moe French had finished his deliveries when he got around to checking his messages. He wasn't all that good with these cell phone things. He knew something was happening, he'd heard about the convent fire, and he'd seen Emma Swan and the ambulance passing him on the road, but he'd paid little attention to it. After all, Belle was home on leave from the library. He'd planned to go by and see her later.

She had assured him that she was fine, and that Rumplestiltskin was merely being overprotective, a trait he highly approved of in his daughter's husband. It had taken time, but he was getting used to having the Dark One as a son in law and things were actually going well.

So it was with some shock that he checked his voice mail and found one from the man. It contained little information, only that something had happened and that Belle and the baby were safe and at home. Instantly he began to search his desk for where he had thrown his keys.

"Where the bloody hell..." He was muttering as he dug around in the chaos, only finally coming up with the ring on which his personal keys were.

"What's the matter, Moe?" Gaston asked, coming in from the greenhouse. The young knight still worked for him, though it was only after he had accepted Belle's marriage and upon spending more time with her that he had come to see how ill suited they had always been for one another. The problem, he realised, was that, while Gaston was a good enough knight, he had few other talents, or interests. This new world was not a place that needed his talents, and he wasn't interested in developing new ones.

"Need to get over to Belle's, something has happened," he told the other man. "You lock up."

"Sure," Gaston said, with what might have been a smile, but it disappeared quickly enough, and Moe decided he was just seeing things. "Don't worry, Belle will be fine. Everything will be, soon. I'm sure of it."

"Good lad," Moe replied, distractedly. He couldn't quite put a finger on it, but something about the knight's reaction seemed...off. But he didn't have time to think about that now. Instead, he handed him the keys to the van with orders to get it cleaned out before tomorrow, and rushed out, phone to his ear. He needed to call Eve, his fiancee, to let her know what was happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of you who are reading this. Hope you are enjoying it. Please remember to comment, it really helps, and don't forget The Espensen Awards. Read, vote...maybe even vote for me :)
> 
>  
> 
> Oh the title to this chapter and the last comes from a rather wonderful song called "Trouble" by the Burns Unit


	8. Attacked

The house was much busier when Jefferson and Regina returned. Dove was still playing door guard as he immediately took over with the supplies, while it appeared that Mary Margaret was consoling a very upset Moe French in the corner with a cup of tea.

"Henry?" Regina asked quietly.

"The kids are both in with Belle," she told them.

"Is that safe?" the former queen asked.

"They are probably in the safest place in town," Mary Margaret told them. "She's got them in her...den with her. Rumplestiltskin seems to think that it's their age."

"Like they are cubs or something?" Jefferson suggested.

"Something like that," she said, looking at the poor man next to her.

"Well, with luck, this will help him get her back," Jefferson said as Dove strode past to retrieve the rest from the car.

"What's happening?" the teacher asked. She had been in the locked down school all day, and of course Rumplestiltskin was too busy to talk.

"Gawain is getting checked out at the hospital, and Ragnell is with him. He's fine. The spell that was used on him was a variation of a sleeping curse. They are just checking him over in case. Apparently, he stopped Peter, the postman, to check for packages. He doesn't remember any more than that. We don't even know if it was Peter who attacked him," Regina told her. "More worrisome is that Tink is missing. She rolled the Tilman boy out to the car, and was supposed to come back for story hour, but she never returned."

'That's not like Tink," Mary Margaret said. "But I'm sure she will be fine." She knew that the fairy and Regina had been friends before and, recently, had been working their way back to it.

"I should go down. Rumple might need me," Regina told them. The relationship was getting better, but Regina was still working on being more comfortable with her stepdaughter, actually with anyone caring about her at all.

Down in the cellar, they found Bae helping his father unpack the things they had brought while Sidney looked like was reading a book.

"What..." she asked.

"I had quite an extensive collection of history texts and magical history books in my lamp, when I was a genie," the mirror told him. "When I went into the mirror, they came with me. I'm doing some research, trying to see if there is a mention of the chess set after..." Regina nodded. "Rumplestiltskin, whose kingdom did the clerics capture you...your predescessor in?"

"It was near the old border of Midas' kingdom, long before Midas, of course. But they took him to the chapter house," he said vaguely. "They were actually an outlaw faction there. Midas' ancestors didn't hold with extremists any more than he did. Actually it would have been in Westlin, George's land by your time. That family was always willing to play both sides against the middle. What were they called...the True path, True believers..."

"The Brotherhood of the True Way?" Regina asked. "I thought those fanatics died out before I was born."

"They were wiped out several times," Rumplestiltskin told them. "Mostly they continued as a secret society within the more mainstream clerical orders, rising again in times of trouble, or when there was a particularly charismatic master. I remember..."

"Those nuts who came through the village when I was a boy?" Bae asked. It wasn't often his father talked about the past, and it would have been really interesting, if they had not been in the middle of a crisis.

"I had forgotten about that," Rumplestiltskin said, pausing in the middle of his task. "They came through the village sniffing for magic. It was before the Duke got ahold of the dagger, and the Dark One. The Duke liked people to think he was a devout man. He was one of George's ancestors too, actually," he spat. He'd alway had a less than positive opinion of that particular noble, actually of his whole family.

"Clerical magic..." Regina started to say something when there was the sound of someone, actually a couple of someones, coming into the cellar, and Emma Swan and David Nolan came into the room. Bae moved to her side.

"We've got four more boxes upstairs," the prince explained. "I found Gregory on the road. He told me something interesting."

"It better be," the sorcerer snapped. He didn't like that many people in his workshop, especially when he was worried about his wife and it seemed he was constantly to be interrupted.

"Yes, it is. He didn't load them. He said that Peter had helped him, told him they were just in."

"Except that Mrs. Horner said there had been no boxes brought to the post office," Emma added. "Either Peter is our villain, or..."

"Or he's being coerced," Jefferson said. "Who was Peter, back in the old world? I didn't know him, but I had been away for a while when...." Bae just shrugged to add his 'me too'.

"I didn't know him," Regina said at her haughty best, as if knowing a messenger was beneath her.

"Well, Gregory was a Royal messenger for Snow and I. Could he have worked for someone else? Midas or maybe Edward?" Confused looks went around the room.

"I don't know, but I guess I need to find him and ask him some pointed questions," Emma said determinedly.

"Not by yourself," her father and Bae said at the same time.

"Emma, Gawain is out, you need backup," Bae said, looking at his fiancee gently.

"I got his address from Gregory," David added, pulling a paper out of his pocket. "I figured if we couldn't find him while he was making deliveries, we might need to go by his house."

"Okay," Emma said, giving in more gracefully than usual. "Bae, you and Henry..."

"I'm going to stay and help Papa," he told her. "And Henry's safe with Belle." He took her hand and led her out for a few quiet words, leaving the rest.

"Charming," Rumplestiltskin said. The prince turned and saw the sorcerer was handing him something, magic proof gloves. "Just in case," he said, before turning and ordering Regina to join him.

Bae returned moments later, and David left. "The boxes are in the dining room. What do you want me to do with them?"

"I'm afraid they are going to have to be opened. I'm reluctant to ask..."

"I'll do it Papa, you just work on getting Belle and the baby back to normal." He didn't need to put into words the fear both of them had. What if the stress caused her to go into labour? What was happening to the baby, and on...Starting down that road would help no one."

"Bae, be careful," the sorcerer said.

"I will lend a hand," Jefferson said. "I have two of them. It'll only take a blink with both of us."

"Jefferson, leave the actual handling to Bae, and son, you only with gloves and carefully. If anything starts to come out, run and call for me. We know it's magic they are targeting. Both of you, be careful. Take the box and the key. I'll need to know who they were meant for, as well."

"We'll be fine, Papa," Bae said, putting an awkward arm around his father's shoulders before heading out with the Hatter.

 

"They know, Master," Brother Peter said as he sat trembling before the head of his order. The senior cleric wasn't known for his patience with failure. "Gawain pulled me over and asked about the boxes. I had to use the sleeping curse on him. They are probably looking for me."

"Be calm, Brother," Thomas said soothingly. "We are on the side of the righteous. Now, how many of the packages did you get delievered?"

"The one to the realm traveler, and the one for that unnatural sea creature. I was able to leave it at their house. Apparently, she and Eric are out on the boat. They won't even know anything is going on in town. I also got the one to the judge. She took it right in to him. But that leaves the other renegade fairy and her dwarf, and the Giant, Anton," he said, counting carefully. "And Sidney Glass."

"Very well, where are they, and where have you hidden the truck?" the master asked, eyes hooded.

"I hid the truck in the woods, near the turn off to the old well. The packages are hidden in the cellar of the abandoned house near the town line. No one goes there."

"Good. Don't worry, Brother Peter, it will all be well," he said as he pulled a box from his desk and opened it. Suddenly he blew something into the frightened man's face. In a moment, Peter was frozen. Master Thomas rang a bell.

The young man who answered looked at Brother Peter, but said nothing. It was safer.

"The packages he failed to deliver, they are in the cellar of the abandoned house near the line. Get Brother Simon, and then go get those packages, and give them to our other 'associate'," he told the younger man.

"What about Brother Peter?" he asked hestitantly.

"He left his truck near the turn off to the old well. Take him and put him in it, and leave him there. He had done his duty. Pity, but..." the master shrugged. "It is for the cause. They will think he was acting alone, and by the time they figure it out, it will be all over. Now, we have other things to deal with."  No one had said anything about Regina, or rather her condition. It was time to send in their mole.

 

"No luck," Emma said. She had rung the bell and pounded on the door. "Should have gotten the keys form Gold. I'm betting he rents this place out." She was peering into the window beside the door. The room was exceptionally neat and spartan from what she could see. Just a chair, facing something she couldn't see, probably the television, and a side table with what looked like a book on it. "Let's try the neighbours. Maybe one of them knows something about him. He has to talk to someone, this is Storybrooke."

 

Mitchell Herman, formerly King Edward, walked into an office and stopped at the desk. "Hey Mary Ann, Midas ready? We don't want to be late, and Granny's is going to be crowded." The two former monarchs had a standing appointment for dinner followed by a poker game once a month, together with Maurice, Eric, and a couple of former royal ministers, since before the curse broke. Sometimes his son Thomas and Fredrick, Midas' son in law, joined them.

"Let me go see if he's finished," the woman said, rising. She tapped on the door and then opened it. "Sir?" she called. "Judge Herman is here and..." She opened the door further. Then her eyes landed on him, and the screaming started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, as usual, for reading this. Hope you aren't too mad for the cliffhanger *ducks*. Please review and all those things. Also, if you were reading Secret Santa, the second part, Secret New Year should be up tonight or tomorrow. I've been on a bit of a roll.


	9. Whose side?

After talking to his neighbours, Emma Swan was convinced of one thing, something about this guy was wrong. The neighbours on both sides had described him as a quiet neighbour, kept his place clean, didn't particularly socialise with anyone. In other words, the same thing that people in the city usually said when their next door neighbour was found to have done something unpleasant, like having bodies buried in the back yard, or heads in the freezer. For Storybrooke, this was _not_ normal behavior. Everyone in town seemed to know everyone else's business and all of them knew hers.

"This is just weird," Emma said.

"Yes. Maybe we should try Gregory, he works with him.  Maybe..." Emma's phone went off and she moved to answer it. "Emma Swan...yes, okay, on my way," she said, turning to her father. "We need to move," she told him. "Looks like at least one of those packages got through."

"Who?" he asked apprehensively.

"Midas. The ambulance is on its way. His secretary found him. No details, she's hysterical."

"You want me to call Abigail?" he asked.

"Yes, you had better. We are going to need to call Gold too. He's not going to be happy. Actually, wait. We need to know what has happened first."

 

In the basement of the pink house things were a little tense. "There is something here I can't quite lay my fingers on," Rumplestiltskin said, thinking aloud. "It looks simple enough, but when I try to reverse it..."

"You've accounted for the effects of the protection charm. I don't know. This is unfamiliar magic," Regina said. "What about some other type of magic? It's not the fairies, dark magic, light magic, what..."

"Clerics," he said suddenly. "Their magic was different. But where would someone get that kind of thing, or know what to do with it? The clerics had given up on almost all magic for the most part, save for healing and..."

"Maybe you should..." Regina started, but changed her mind. There was no way she was going to convince him to take a break, not with Belle involved. She remembered well how he drove himself when they were working on the potion for Bae. 

The phone rang and Rumplestiltskin picked it up and growled into it. No one should be calling him, not now. "This better be important," he said.

"I wouldn't be calling if it wasn't," David Nolan said from the other end. "There has been another attack. Midas. He's...well, it looks like his curse became active, or something. He's turned to gold." Rumplestiltskin cursed roundly. "The ambulance crew needs to know if it is safe to move him, and I need to know where to take him. It's not like the hospital can do anything with him," the prince said softly. Clearly he was trying not to be overheard.

The sorcerer ran a tired hand over his face. This was getting out of hand. "There is nothing they can do for him. See if you can find the object that did it.  Don't touch him.  Whatever else you do, _don't_ touch him. There is no point in moving him for now. Find out what did this and call me back. I need to think." The sorcerer hung up and began to pace. Unfortunately there wasn't much space to do it.

"Tea time," Jefferson said at that moment, entering the basement with a tray.

"There has been a successful attack," he told the man without preamble. "Midas. He's turned to gold."

"Damn it," the portal hopper said, expressing everyone's feelings. "Best drink that before it gets cold. From the fair princess," he added when Rumplestiltskin raised an eyebrow at him. "And the list. Four boxes, one each for Archie, Marco, that one was made to look like it was a toy, something he would give to August, and Gus over at the garage, though I don't think he has magic at all, which breaks the pattern."

"He doesn't exactly," the sorcerer said reflexively. "But he didn't start out his life as human. Though why anyone would go to the effort for him..." He trailed off as he picked up his cup of tea, mind racing.

"Rumple, the last one...it was for Emma," the Hatter said.

Rumplestiltksin looked up, his eyes darker than the night sky. He wasn't best pleased that his son's True Love was the Savior, but she made his son happy, and that counted as another attack on his family. "Which one?" he asked slowly, enunciating every syllable.

"Rumple..."

" **Which one**?"

"Black knight," Jefferson told him quietly. The room was completely still as they all watched and considered the important things, like how fast they could get out of range and, in the case of Sidney who couldn't move, if his will was up to date.

Rumplestiltskin wanted to do something spectacular and violent. The only thing that held him back was his concern for Belle and the need not to waste the magic it would take to blow something up. "Get Princess Snow," he said slowly, still bringing himself under control.

"What is..." Regina started to ask, but he cut her off.

"Is the protection spell still active, the one on the Town Hall?" he asked her.

"As far as I know. I've not taken it off." After Cora, David and Snow had asked Regina to create a safe place in case of magical attack, somewhere they could evacuate people if necessary. They probably would have asked Rumplestiltksin himself, had Belle, with Bae's help, not whisked him off to the cabin to recuperate. It made sense.

"Everyone on that list and anyone else who has a magical connection needs to be gotten to the Town Hall," he said. "And that means everyone. At least until I can figure this out."

He was just beginning to explain his idea to Snow White, when they heard someone giving directions from above. Moments later, a quiet man in a plain brown suit came into the basement. "Mr...er...Mr. Gold," the young man said as he stood in the door way looking a bit frightened and confused. Lawrence Roberts, Belle's assistant, was a soft spoken, bookish young man, but the sorcerer was a bit confused as to what he was doing at the house.

"It's a bad time, Lawrence," the sorcerer said shortly.

"I just came to see how Belle was doing. She was going to come by to...is there something going on?" he asked.

"We are a little busy at present. Someone has been sending little 'gifts' to the magical residents of Storybrooke," Jefferson explained. "The sort that are dangerous, and potentially fatal." The young man went even paler than usual.

"Fatal?" he asked quietly.

"Potentially, but so far no one has actually died," the Hatter said, concentration on the possitive side.

"Belle and the baby?" he asked.

"Belle is fine, if not exactly herself. The spell backfired, and now she is...." They heard a growl from the other room. Of course, there had been intermittent noises from the other room for some time, but so far all had been quiet.

"It's okay, Grandma Belle, I'm just going to see who is here," Henry was trying to explain from the open room.

"What..." Lawrence started.

"That's Belle," Rumplestiltskin told him. He wasn't expecting the young man's reaction. He looked suddenly like he was going to be very sick.

"What did...what's happened to her?" Lawrence Roberts' mind was racing. They had assured him that it was the right way, that nothing would happen to Belle, to any of them. It was just supposed to show her that her husband was a true beast. The Master had assured him that nothing would go wrong, no one would die, they would just have their magic taken or consent to be bound. It was true that he had been loosing faith for some time, as he had gotten to know those he had been taught were evil. He had been raised in the Order. When they had been forced to go underground with the warning of the coming Curse, he had been angry and confused, and when he'd awoken in this new land, he'd been much the same, but that had been over a year ago. He had learned and grown a lot in that time. Now, he needed to make his decision, to really decide where he stood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading. I'm afraid that this is not one of my more rushed chapters interupted as it was by a board meeting. I apologise in advance. Please enjoy, and if drop me a comment to tell me what you think.


	10. Puzzle pieces

Rumplestiltskin needed to think. His first response was to focus on Belle and tell the rest of them to bugger off in no uncertain terms. However, the situation was getting out of control. They had no idea who was next or what would happen. One thing he was certain of, this couldn't be one man. It was too coordinated. He needed a plan. He hated the idea of working with others, despite the fact that he had done it before, still, it was necessary. Besides, if he knew who was behind it, he would have an idea of how to reverse it, all of it. Oh, the chess pieces would take some time, each. But those he knew he could reverse. He, or rather his former incarnation, had made them, he could unmake them. But he was certain more than that was in play. What had been done to Belle was certainly not from one of them, nor was the modified sleeping curse used on Gawain.

He sent Regina upstairs to get something to eat and went to spend some time with his wife. Lawrence, who assured him he had been a scholar in the old world, was sent to his office with a few volumes, while Henry and Grace, after being extracted carefully from Belle's overprotective embrace, were in the backyard with Arrow the dog, who had been delivered by Archie on his way to help Snow at the Town Hall. Dove was keeping watch on them.

Rumplestiltskin settled himself inside Belle's nest and accepted the attention of his wife. Belle in his arms was always the best way for him to think, even though at the moment, she was curled up rubbing against him like a cat, which was distracting in another way he preferred not to think about, at least not at the current time.

 

Emma and David left the ambulance crew to take Abigail and her father to the Town Hall. Frederick, who had come with his wife, asked quietly to speak to them before he followed. "What can be done?" he asked them.

"Rumplestiltskin will be working to reverse all of those who were...injured," David reassured him. Emma let him take care of that part. Her father had known Frederick since before the curse.

"Are you..." he started. "This isn't his doing, is it?"

"Belle was the first person effected," David said flatly. Frederick nodded.

"I didn't think so," the knight told them. "He and Midas have no quarrel, never have. It's just..."

"What?" Emma asked.

"Abigail mentioned someone talking to her about the danger of having magic in Storybrooke. She blew them off, but it just seems convenient."

"Do you know who it was?" David asked.

"She didn't tell me. I'll try to ask her when she..."

"Understood. Meanwhile..."

"I want to help, as much as I can. I need to take care of Abby, but..."

"Go with her to the Town Hall. If you want to help, give Snow a hand with security," David suggested.

"I can do that. A few of my men made it over as well. I'll call on them," Frederick said, grateful to be able to help.

"Only ones you trust completely," Emma said. "Right now, we don't know who is or isn't involved, and who is trustworthy."

 

After dispatching Frederick, Emma and David headed to the house rented by Gregory, who lived in a quiet little bungalow with his wife, a seamstress who had also worked for Snow's family.

"What do you know about Peter?" Emma asked when they had been invited in.

"Not a whole lot," Gregory admitted. "He's always said he used to work for King George, but he didn't talk about the old world much, not like some. He had no family in town that I know of. Quiet like..."

"Tell them about that thing, though, dear," his wife said, coming into the room to offer them coffee.

"What thing?" Emma asked, accepting the coffee gratefully. It had been a long day.

"You know, about..." she nudged her husband.

"Oh, that. He didn't mean anything, just talking," Gregory said dismissively.

"Look, Gregory, people have been hurt. Sidney, Midas, Belle..."

"Belle? Is she all right?" the man asked, going a little pale.

"Gold is trying to reverse what was done to her, to all of them. Meanwhile, there are more people in danger."

"I didn't think much about it, at the time, but if Belle's involved, well, I suppose...it was around the time they were preparing for the wedding. There were a bunch of RSVPs for the reception, and wedding gifts. He said it ought not be allowed, the Dark One marrying and something about evil magic. Well, I ask him what he was talking about, seeing as how Rumplestiltskin's helped the town more than once, and of course, Belle, well, she's Belle, isn't she?" Gregory finished. "Of course, then he said he didn't mean anything, just hard to get used to the way things were changing, and he'd not slept well. Didn't think anything much about it, truth to tell."

"Well, I've always thought he was an odd one," his wife said. "I brought in cupcakes from Astrid's, on account of it being Betty, you know, Betty Horner, at the post office? It was her birthday. He looked at them like I was offering him a child's mud pie. He said it was because he was allergic to chocolate, but I know he eats it. I just figured he was biased against fairies, but...."

"Gold _is_ biased against fairies, and I've never known _him_ to turn away Astrid's baking," Emma said.

"Exactly. She's hardly like a fairy at all, anyway."

"Okay, can you tell me anything else about him? Any friends, girlfriends, drinking buddies?"

"He doesn't drink and I've never known him to have a girlfriend. He is a member of the men's group over at the church," Gregory suggested.

"The men's group?" Emma asked.

"I'll tell you on the way."

 

Lawrence Roberts was miserable. Normally, the opportunity to look through the Dark One's library would have been more than enough to make his scholarly heart skip a beat. He'd not lied, he was a scholar, back in the old world, if a clerical one. But at the moment, he was so torn. They had been kind to him, more than his brothers had been. He'd seen the hard work and the genuine love and pain as the sorcerer had gone to sit with his beautiful, damaged wife.

He'd honestly thought after Master Thomas had explained it, that, since they had True Love, nothing would happen. If all it was meant to do was open her eyes, then they would be fine. The Brotherhood would see what he saw. Now he knew they had lied to him. He'd been kept away from the rest of the planning, too useful as a mole, he'd been told. If he got caught they wanted to make sure he could say nothing. Now he knew. There were no two ways about it. This was wrong. He screwed up his courage.  It was time to tell Rumplestiltksin and pray that his change of heart was convincing, or that Belle would get him a nice terrarium.

 

He heard the door bell ring as he came out of the office. Lawrence was about to offer, but he saw Maurice get there first. Belle's father was looking miserable, but he'd calmed a bit as he moved to open the front door.

"Gaston, what are you doing here?" he heard the old man greet his assistant.

"I have a last minute delivery for Belle," the other man said. Lawrence's heart stopped.

" _ **Don't**_ ," he shouted. "It's a trap, he's...." But in that moment, the former knight realised he was caught and threw the vase at Maurice and turned to flee.

"What the..." the old florist said, turning around, holding the vase to his chest.

"They are cursed, I'm sure of it," the former cleric said. "Put them outside, or something, we need..." But even as he watched, it was too late, the old man was sinking to the ground, the vase clutched to his chest.

Bae rushed in, followed by Jefferson. They could hear Dove coming around from the back, gun drawn.

"It was Gaston," Lawrence shouted. "He's working for them, the flowers..." The big man didn't need more, he was already out the door, moving faster than anyone his size really had any right to.

"Best not get near 'til I've checked them," Rumplestiltskin said from behind them. "Meanwhile, I have a question, dearie. How did you know?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading. Sorry this was delayed. Not So Secret Valentine's was a contest entry and it had a due date (that I got wrong, so there you go). Hope you enjoy, and please, comment. It keeps the muse happy.


	11. The Imp and the scholar

"It's a very long story, hadn't you better...you know...I won't try to go anywhere, I give you my word. Is he...going to live?" Lawrence asked, cautiously. He had raised his hands in surrender and was looking miserable.

"Want me to search him, Papa?" Bae asked. He was looking angry and hurt. Rumplestiltskin looked at him sharply.

"Have you anything magical on you? Anything dangerous? Remember, I will know if you lie, and I will show no mercy."

"I have nothing dangerous, no magic at all, save my medallion, it's protective," the young scholar told him. Rumplestiltskin nodded to his son to proceed, while he went to examine his fallen father in law. With a word, he encased the vase and its contents in a protective shield and, once they had wrested them away from Maurice, Jefferson was ordered to take them downstairs as Regina came back with the children.

"What happened?" she asked. "Dove ran through and I had to watch the children. What's happened to Maurice?" She was trying to hold back Henry and Grace.

"I need to ascertain that myself, if you would leave me to _get on with it_ ," he snapped. "Henry, why don't you go up to my room. Belle's current books should be on the night table. Reading to her might soothe her. I left in rather a hurry." The boy nodded and hurried up the stairs, carefully avoiding the areas where his step great grandfather lay.

"I can take her some tea," Grace volunteered. "And maybe..."

"You know where the scones are kept, imp," he said as kindly as he could, considering. She was a good girl. "See if she will eat anything." Then he turned his attention fully to Maurice, who was staring straight ahead. "He is bespelled," Rumplestiltskin said. "It was meant to incapacitate, though what it would have done to Belle, in conjunction with the rest...I don't know. You, Lawrence, you will tell me everything you know and quickly," he said. "My patience is..." He paused as Dove came through the door, Gaston thrown over his shoulder like an unlovely sack of potatoes. He wasn't moving.

"He didn't want to come," the big man said, as if no more was needed. He wasn't one to waste words.

"Very well. Bae, could you tie him up in the dining room, I don't want him to disturb anyone."

"I'll help," Jefferson offered. "We'll need a gag as well. Don't want the children..."

"Is this the one, Grandpa? Only the others were about...you know, pregnancy," Henry said, trying not to look embarrassed. "Whoa, what happened to Gaston?"

"Later, lad. Yes, the one about the mythology of this world. Go on now," he told the boy. "Bae, can you and Jefferson," he directed them as they took the body from Dove and dragged him none to gently into the next room.

"Regina, could you go to my workroom and get a restorative, and a truth potion...make it two," the sorcerer said, looking at the frightened young man who still had his hands up.

"It's not necessary, really. I...I will tell you everything," Lawrence said.

"We shall see. Dove, take Maurice to the guest room, and then I want you on your guard. No one approaches unless they are known and trusted, and even those better have a damn good reason. Now, Mr. Roberts, or whatever your real name is, I think you have a story to tell me."

 

"So what's this men's group and why have I never heard of it?" Emma asked.

"It's been kind of a joke actually, or so we always thought. When Regina cast the curse, it was meant to make Storybrooke a normal small town for this world, so we got all the usual things, school, pharmacy, diner..."

"Yeah, I knew that, so..."

"We also got a church. But religion in the Enchanted Forest isn't like it is here. So basically, if you were a regular at your local temple or shrine, in Storybrooke..."

"You were a regular church goer, got it, makes sense."

"So there is a group, a men's Bible study kind of thing. I don't really know anything about it. I was never a member. I know a few, to speak to, but not well. When the curse broke, well, church changed a good bit, obviously, but the men's group continued to meet, said they were used to it, after all these years, and they enjoyed spending time together, kind of like that poker game that Midas was going to. In fact, standing rumour was it was cover for a friendly poker game. But the thing is, thinking about it, most of the members that I know of, they are pretty quiet, like Peter," David told her. "But it would make a great cover, say for an anti-magic group to hide in?"

"Exactly my thoughts," Emma agreed, giving her attention to the road.

 

Granny Lucas was just finishing pulling the last lasagna out of the oven for transport to the Town Hall. As soon as she was done, she could go herself. Customers mostly turned to take away, once it became known that the rumors of attacks weren't just rumors and that the Princess was requesting anyone with any relation to magic, no matter how slight, bring their families and come seek shelter there. Those with magic connections were headed for the Hall, while many ordinary folk were either preparing to go home, out of the firing line, or heading for the Town Hall themselves to lend a hand.

The bell over the door rang and Granny came out of the kitchen, reassured by the presence of the crossbow slung over her shoulder. It never hurt to be careful.

"Hey Granny. It's quiet, what's going on?" Eric asked. Granny relaxed. Eric and Ariel were good people.

"Where have you two been? You should get over to the Town Hall," she said.

"We were out with the boat," Arial said. Her hair was still damp, which probably meant she'd been getting a swim. She did pretty well as a human, but everyone knew she needed to spend some time in the sea.

"Then you don't know. Someone has been attacking people with magic or even magical connections. Princess Snow is gathering people at the Town Hall for their safety. I'm going there myself as soon as I get this last lot of food loaded."

"What some help?" Eric asked.

"Granny, you ready?" Leroy called, coming in from the back. "Astrid's done and on her way, and we should..." The dwarf barely had time to register the new arrivals when the door of the diner opened again, this time it was four men in brown robes, their faces hidden in deep cowls.

"Looks like we've hit the jackpot, boys," one of them said. "A dwarf, the sea creatures and the old wolf. That's got to be some kind of haul."

"This is my place, and you can get out, now," Granny said, unslinging the crossbow. "Think those hoods hide anything, Jessie? I know your voice. And who are you calling old?"

"I'll call you whatever I want. You're nothing but an unnatural creature that should have been locked away from decent people long ago," the leader, identified as Jessie, said. " Come on, we can take 'em."

Eric pushed Ariel behind him and pulled his knife, prepared for a fight, but the leader reached into his robes. It was one move too many. Granny let fly with a bolt that went through his hand, but not quite soon enough. The object he'd been reaching for fell from his hand, causing a mist that seemed to free him and the man immediately behind him.

"Out the back, everyone," Leroy shouted. The other two of the attackers fled out the front door, one running face first into Killian Jones.

"Watch it, Mate," the pirate said as the man swung on him.

The pirate had few redeeming features, but he'd been in more than his share of tavern brawls, dockside riots, and general shipboard mayhem. He knew when to punch first and ask questions after. The robed man fell to the deck outside Granny's as the other man fled.

From the back of the building, the large, old station wagon that Granny used for transporting food and other things, pulled around with her driving.

"Jones, what..." Leroy started through the open window.

"Bloke took a swing at me, right out of nowhere. What the bloody hell?" he asked, defensively.

"Here, tie him up," the dwarf said as he pulled some rope from out of his toolbox at his feet. "Granny, get over to the Town Hall. We'll take this one over to Rumplestiltskin. I'll go get my truck."

"What? Hey, mate, I'm not getting involved in..."

"Shut it Jones, and help me shift him," the dwarf spat.

 

"It started before the curse. It's true.  I was a scholar, albeit, a clerical one. I was raised in the Chapter house, left on the doorstep. I didn't mind it though, I never knew any other life. Then King George began driving clerics from his kingdom. Some of those came to our house for refuge. It was from them that I first learned of the Brotherhood of the True Way. They told me about how dark magic was growing. When Regina came to power, it seemed like they were right. We were driven from the Chapter house. I was...angry. It was the only home I had ever known, and we had been driven out. I signed up," he paused for a moment.

"Then Princess Snow and Prince David defeated Regina. I thought it was over, but they said no, that the Prince and Princes associated with fairies and other unnatural creatures. We all knew they had you...well, that you were in the palace at least. Then, when he heard about the dark curse, the Master gathered us, his most faithful, he said. He was the one that said the best thing to do was return to the kingdom in secret, individually, to prepare, and we would be in a position to defeat the dark magic. Somehow, I never learned how, he knew, or had an idea of what the curse would do. He said we would be able to cleanse this new world...I believed him." Lawrence looked at him, hoping that he understood, but this was Rumplestiltskin and his wife was hurt. The imp gestured for him to continue.

"At first, when the curse broke, things went along the same way they had. We met, talked about the same old things, but this time we were telling the stories of what we had done to hide. Meanwhile, I got the job at the library, and I was happier than I had been, even in the Chapter house. But...well, I'd started to question, to lose faith in the mission. I'm not the only one. They said I was a perfect mole, but all I could see was how happy you were, everyone in town was. I think they didn't trust me. They said it wouldn't hurt Belle, that it would just release her from your spell. I knew there was no spell...I thought..."

"That they would see the truth?" the sorcerer asked, softly. He wanted to be angry. He was angry, actually, he wanted to rail at him, turn him into something, but the fact was, the lad was no monster. Naive, yes, gullible, absolutely. Actually it reminded him of the faith he had in his own father, before his father betrayed him. It was the Master of the Order he needed to deal with, he was the monster, he was the one. He had counted on the lad's innocence, just as Rumplestiltskin was going to now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, please leave a comment in the little box.


	12. Secrets revealed

"Sir, I think you need to come outside," Dove interrupted. Rumplestiltskin was still considering what Lawrence had told him and Bae said Gaston was coming around, so another interruption was _not_ welcome. Still, he stepped out on the porch and was surprised to see a half dozen or more boys, mostly teens, some armed with slings and other weapons.

"What are you lads doing here?" he asked.

One of them, older and clearly elected leader stepped up. "We're here to help. Princess Snow, she's got plenty of men at Town Hall and they think we're just kids. Mrs Gold, well, she's always been good to us, helping. We want to do our part. We reckon you could use some more lookouts, keep an eye on things. The other grownups, they forget what..."

Rumplestiltskin held up his hand. He knew they meant. These were former Lost Boys, and he would bet there were others in the trees. They had survived Pan and Neverland, but as much as they appreciated having the chance to be children again, they weren't, not exactly. Dove was looking at him. They were just looking for a chance to lend a hand. He nodded and at a whistle, they spread out and disappeared, melted away into the hedge, behind the house, and who knew where else? After all, they came from a place where survival meant hide and seek wasn't a game, but life and death.

As he turned to go back in though, Leroy's trick rocketed up to the house, Killian Jones in the passenger seat.

"Hey Gold, brought you a present," Leroy said as he hopped out.

"If it's the pirate..."

"Nothing to do with me. I just got shanghaied to carry."

"This one," Leroy said, pulling the tarp off the trussed up figure in the back that was starting to come around. "Best search him for magic. There are two more at Granny's, one with a bolt through his hand. He got mouthy with Granny and tried to hit us with some magic...something. It was a powder, but it turned into a mist when he dropped it. Think he meant to throw." It was probably the longest speech Leroy had ever made to the sorcerer, barring asking about work.

Knowing now that he was dealing with clerics of a particularly virulent and fanatical nature, made it much easier to figure out. "It will be a stun powder. Once it settles, it's no longer active. Looks like they were trying to capture you, probably as examples, or hostages. Takr that one into the dining room with the other one," he directed Dove. With the lads (and he heard the sounds, the whistles that told him they were there, actually Bae could probably understand them still), he was certain the house was well watched. "Leroy, would you take Dove to collect the other two, then..."

"What about me?" Jones asked.

"The only thing I want from you is your head, mounted on my wall, but my wife objects. However, if you want to make yourself useful, go to the Town Hall and ask the Princess to make sure that everyone is accounted for. If they have successfully taken others, we need to know."

Jones shrugged. He had no other plans, except dinner at Granny's, and knowing the woman, there was food at the Town Hall, and maybe a good fight to be had, so not a complete waste. Dove returned and the pirate was squeezed in the middle as they tore off.

"I'm counting on you, lads," he said, barely raising his voice. In response, he heard the call of a screech owl, coming from one place and then another, until they had come from all sides of the house. Yes, there were more than he'd seen. They were used to playing for high stakes. Inside, he sent Bae out, telling him about the Lost Boys.

"I still remember the codes," he said. "Jefferson is..."

"I've got Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dumber," the Hatter said from the open doorway. "And room for more." He was smiling in a way that was...mostly sane at least.

"Good, now," the sorcerer said, turning back to the lounge and Lawrence. "Tell me, how many of you are there, and what is Gaston doing with them? He's never been a cleric. I doubt he's ever been nearer a monastery or a temple than the nearest tavern since his first blessing."

"Originally, there were two dozen. I'm not the only one who started to question though. Tobias, Toby, who works at the docks is one. I've not seen him in days, and I'd bet he's taken himself off rather than participate. But because of my connection to the library, they have kept a very close eye on me. I would say probably there are eighteen true believers, and some of those are borderline. Gaston is not a member of the Brotherhood, but I heard Master Thomas talk about reaching out to those who might feel they had lost under the current leadership."

"So they hired Gaston and some of the other drunken louts and layabouts from The Rabbit Hole?"

"Yes sir. But they had to be able to prove that they were 'free of magical taint'," Lawrence said.

"What in the seven hells is _that_?" Rumplestiltskin spat. "Magic is not like eye colour, or your grandfather's nose, it doesn't just get passed on. Except for True Love, Snow and Charming have less magical potential than that settee, but Emma has more than can be accounted for. Certainly, sometimes it is so, but there are plenty of families that have not had a single member with a drop of magical potential that breed a brilliant sorcerer."

Lawrence shrugged. "I tried to tell him, but he seems to have this theory..."

"Never mind, I've less than no time for the ridiculous theories of a madman. You said you wish to help?"

"Anything, please. I...I have no magic," he said. "Not even what is common among clerics. I couldn't be taught. I am one of those with no talent. But I can help with research. Please, let me help try to repair the damage I have done," he begged.

"Go to the cellar. Try to help Sidney. He will need some direction. Help him narrow down what the spell they tried to use on Belle was, and what it was meant to do. But know, if you step one toe out of line, ye'll be crawling home before you have time to notice. I'll not guarantee you'll not end there anyway," toe sorcerer warned him.

"I understand, and I would deserve it,," the young man said.

Rumplestiltskin just nodded. "Now, tell me where your Master keeps his magical toys."

 

Emma and David had parked out of sight of the church and went in on foot, but the building was strangely silent. In fact, when they entered the hall, they found it deserted, as if the occupants had already cleared out. There was the usual, empty tables, scattered chairs, and fast food wrappers. "Looks like they have moved out and in a hurry," David commented.

"Let's check the rest of the buildings though. I'll take the offices, you check the church building," Emma said.

"Is that such a good idea, splitting up?" David asked. "What if they are hiding, or they come back suddenly?"

Emma wanted to disagree with him, but she had to admit he was right. "All right, church first, then offices, and we need to be quick about it."

Ten minutes later, they had cleared the choir room, classroom, storage closets, small library, and were going through the sanctuary, when Emma managed to trip. She grabbed the pulpit to stop her fall, and felt it move. "Huh," she said, looking at it curiously. It was a large, wooden piece that should have been far too heavy to move with her weight.

"What have you got?" David asked.

"Help me with this," she said. It took a few minutes but they figured out how to get it to swing back, revealing a hidden stairway underneath, into an underground passage. "Now, that's not suspicious at all," Emma muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad you are still enjoying this. Please remember to leave a comment. I love hearing from you.


	13. Fighting Back

When Dove returned, he dumped first one, then the other of the attackers into waiting chairs in the dining room, where Bae and Jefferson secured them. "Now we have enough for a tea party," Jefferson said, rubbing his hands together. Gaston, who was conscious again, struggled against his bonds in terror.

"Who are they?" Rumplestiltskin asked, pulling back the hoods with a flourish.

"That one works at the hospital," Bae said. "He rents from you."

"Brother Jesrick," Lawrence identified. "He's Jesse here. He works as an orderly at the hospital. A legitimate fanatic, he's one of Master Thomas' most devoted followers.

"And the other?"

"Johnny...he's..." Jefferson started.

"I've seen him around town, I think he works at the Rabbit Hole, quiet, never has a lot to stay," Bae added.

"Brother John...Johnny...Rogers...something like that. He's always been close to the Master. He's...I'm not sure if he's all together..." Lawrence tapped the side of his head. "I thought Master Thomas included him because he felt sorry for him, but..." He shrugged.

"Well, let's start with these," Regina said impatiently, waving the restorative potion at them. "They will work on this basic stuff, won't they?"

"Oh, they should. Lawrence, you can go. Regina, see what you can do with Maurice. Now..." He grabbed the one with the bolt through his hand and pulled his head back.

"Don't you want to deal with his hand first?" Regina asked as she started to leave.

"No. I think that he will be much more amenable if we do this this in the other order," he said ominously.

 

"We should call for some help," David said, looking down the hole.

"You got some guys who aren't at the Town Hall floating around? Ones that you know that you can trust?"

"Let me get the flash lights from the car, and at least let Snow know where we are," he said.

Emma nodded and peered into the darkness, gun drawn, listening to see if there were sounds coming from below. By the time her father returned, she had almost given up and gone alone. One thing she was sure of, there was no scurrying down below. Still, she wouldn't put it past them to be hiding in the dark, waiting for them. "Okay, you stay behind me."

 

"Now, let us see..." Rumplestiltskin said as he deftly opened the mouth of the first of the two prisoners. There was a *poof* and a cough as the man began to move. "With us again, I see," the sorcerer said with a chilly smile.

"What....owwww," he cried as he became aware of where he was and the pain set in. "What have you done to me, you monster?"

"I, dearie? Nothing, yet. That's the pain from the bolt in your hand. You should have known better than to try to outrun the Widow Lucas' crossbow, though I gather your mouth was doing the running."

"Lucky it didn't end up in his tongue," Jefferson said.

"Now, we are going to have a little chat and if I am satisfied with the answers, I'll see your hand is tended before permanent damage is done," Rumplestiltskin said, leaning close. On the other side of the table, Gaston was watching wide eyed, the old wash rag stuffed into his mouth and held with that magnificent new world invention, duct tape, preventing him from contributing more to the conversation.

"I don't deal with evil scum like you," he spat, then cried in pain as the imp reached behind him and twisted the bolt.

"I see we are going to need you to better manage that tongue of yours, or I will remove it for you, without magic. I should not have expected better from the sort of cowardly privy rat who attacks pregnant women."

"How is your pretty little wife? Locked up where she can't escape? Does she run in terror from the sight of you, or is she more of a fighter? I bet she's a fighter. We will free her, from you, anyway. We will see how pretty she is once she's been properly 'questioned'," he sneered.

It would have taken a bigger man than either Bae or Jefferson to hold the enraged sorcerer, assuming they wanted to, which they didn't. Actually, Bae grabbed for the chair as his father swung his cane on him. He was looking for a few licks himself, but Jefferson, with more courage than intelligence, grabbed Rumplestiltskin after the first furious blows.

"You need answers, Rumple," he said calmly as he could, his anger less overwhelming. "Then you can continue. Personally, I'd start with his knees."

"Or the balls," Bae added. He was still seeing red, but he knew Jefferson was right. Slowly, Rumplestiltskin calmed and Jesrick tried to look smug. Of course, the man had no way of knowing, as the others did, that a calm angry Rumplestiltskin was far more dangerous.

"Truth potion, or shall I make one of my 'special' teas?" Jefferson asked.

"I think we should turn him over to mom when we're done, personally," Bae suggested.

The man looked at them. He was bruised, his eye starting to swell, and his lip was bleeding, but he was still trying to hold on to his boldness. Rumplestiltskin was looking calmer, if a little disheveled after his loss of control. "Tea, I think. It will be interesting what fears are crawling around in that cesspit of a mind. Then he will tell us everything."

"I won't..."

"No one asked your opinion, dearie."

 

They made their way down the passage. It appeared to be heading behind the church. At the end, a small light could be seen, faintly. Emma gestured for David to slow. They probably wouldn't be expecting an attack from the direction of church, it _was_ a secret passage, after all, but after a moment she halted, listening. Emma couldn't hear anything and moved to the opening. Slowly, she looked into the room on the far side. On the table was a small camp lantern, but what she could by the light was empty of people. Carefully Emma turned into the room.

It was a big open cellar. There was nothing in the center but the table with the lantern. On one wall was a row of shelves or racks, which, she could not be sure, but she couldn't see much at all. Feeling certain they were alone, she walked all the way in. "Looks clear," she said, calling David to join her. They began a full search, carefully, with flashlights.

"Hey, found something," David said. Emma turned from where she had been examining the racks, much like the supply shelves in Gold's shop, and when to join him by a door in the corner, closed with a hasp and padlock.

"Here," she said, looking closely. She reached into her pocked and pulled out her picks. "Don't leave home without them. Not after the third time Mrs. Hubbard locked herself out. Hold the light."

In a few moments, they were through the door. Inside, they were shocked to see two cells, one on either side. "What the hell?" asked David.

"Help us," a man said from one cell. Inside with him were a couple of others, vaguely familiar. Emma shined the light into the other. Tink, Ruby, and Anton lay, stunned or otherwise incapacitatied.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked, flashing the light around, making sure there was nothing and no one else.

"Depends on your perspective. Master Thomas called it betrayal. We refused to participate in his insane plans. Things aren't the way they were. I'm Toby, that's Fred and Oliver there."

"He found out we were planning to come to you, I don't know how," the one called Oliver told them.

"Well, let's get you out of here. Do you know when they are coming back or what they are planning?" Emma asked.

"We've been down here for a couple of days, well except for old Bernie," he said, pointing to a figure huddled in the back, away from the light.

"Is that Pastor Jordan?" David questioned.

"Light," Emma snapped, getting him to return the flashlight beam to where she was trying to pick the lock on the door. Her instinct was to free Ruby and Tink first, but she was going to need help shifting them.

"Yeah, I don't know how long it's been going on, but Thomas has had him under a coercion spell. The problem is that over the long term, it causes mental breakdown."

"Damn, and here we thought he was the villain."

"No, you are looking for Thomas MacCann, he's the sextant."

"I thought...well, he's always avoided getting involved with anything. He..."

"He enjoyed playing the quiet loner. People ignored him and he said it gave him a better vantage. They would say things around him, underestimate him."

"Got it. Okay, I'm going to need you guys to help me. Do any of you know how to wake them? Otherwise we're going to have to carry them."

"That's not going to be easy," the Prince said, eyeing Anton.

"Took four of the brothers to get him in there. I've never been any great shakes at the magic," Toby said. "Fred?"

"Let me see," the other man answered. "I might be able to, but I need to see what kind of supplies they've left me with."

"Remember, we're on a clock here," Emma said, now kneeling by the other cell. David gave the flashlight over to Toby, and went to keep watch, taking Fred with him to see if he could find what he needed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, please remember to comment. I'm a little slow due to house guests but hopefully more soon.


	14. Check

"Well, that went as well as can be expected," Jefferson said as he watched the inmates in their new encloser.  Personally he was a bit surprised at the restraint Rumplestiltskin was showing, but then he knew that he was saving his rage for the head of the Brotherhood. Now, it was down to preparing.

The sorcerer had sent his son to check on Henry during the questioning. There were some ways he never wanted Bae to see him again, too many bad memories of who he had turned into just after he took his curse. But Bae was back now, a plate of sandwiches in one hand. "Rats, Papa?" he asked, looking into the terrarium.

"Three rats, one mouse. Turns out that Jesrick is afraid of rodents, especially rats. It seemed fitting."

Bae smiled just a bit. Everyone was alive and with the same number of pieces they started in. Considering, it was remarkable restraint.

"Interesting the things that slip out of a bully's mouth with just the right application of creative herbalism," Jefferson smirked.

Bae looked closer. Yep, three rats, the larger, darker one looking like something he'd seen once on a subway platform when he was living in New York, only smaller. _Must be Gaston_ , he thought. In the far corner, the brown mouse appeared to be twitching, or possibly it was the remains of the tea. "So, what now?" he asked.

"Now we know where they are hiding and what they planned for Belle. He really did tell us everything he knew. Apparently the only thing he is more afraid of than rodents is _me_ ," Rumplestiltskin said casually.

 

"We need to hurry this along. They could come back," Emma said tensely.

"Almost got it," Fred replied. Her father and Toby had carried Ruby and Tink back to the truck, while Oliver had coaxed the damaged former Pastor out and up with them. He seemed to have a rapport. It was going to be tight in the truck, especially with Anton, but they had no other choice. She wouldn't leave anyone behind with these whack jobs running around.

While the former brother was working on his antidote, she looked to see if she could find anything that would give her a clue as to their next move. While she was glad there were defectors, couldn't at least one of them have waited to voice their disagreement until after they knew the _whole_ plan? She had said as much to Toby.

"Sorry, sheriff, but it wouldn't have worked. The Mast...er...Thomas, I think he's been reading those spy books. Everyone was only given their part. With me, I was against doing anything at all. All I ever wanted before was to be a local cleric. Oliver balked when he was asked to help with packaging more of those chess pieces. Fred..."

"He was looking for a way to incapacitate Rumplestiltskin. I said what if something happened? He's protected the town when it was attacked in the past, helped people. Besides, I told him it's not possible. 'Course we didn't know all that until after we were locked up together, like we didn't know about Bernie," Fred had commented before turning his full attention back to his work.

"Got it," he said finally, when she had just decided there was nothing there to find. "This should work.  Barely had enough though. It might take longer. It's a matter of size," he explained, handing the bottle over. "I'll help. He might be a little disoriented at first."

"This better work. If you're screwing with us, I'll lock your ass back in there and leave you until Rumplestiltskin has time to deal with you," she warned. The man turned white but nodded and followed her.

"What's taking so long?" David asked as he came back in. "I called Snow. Granny was beside herself. She's better now that we have Ruby, but..."

"Ready," Emma said. Fred was trying and sort of succeeding at helping Tiny to his feet and David rushed to help.

"Where is this anyway?" she asked as they made their way back down the tunnel. Emma was first, pistol drawn, but getting Anton through was proving difficult.

"The cellar of the Rectory," Fred panted.

"We should check that out as well," the sheriff said.

"We will, once we've got these guys to Town Hall. It's a miracle we haven't been caught yet."

"We are never going to all fit," Emma said. "Not even if we pack in like a clown car. I could..."

"I've already got that handled," David told her with a smile. Moments later, Leroy pulled up to the church, driving as if the curse was on his tail.

"Hey, you guys need some transport?" the dwarf said.

"Put these guys in the truck and get back to Town Hall," Emma ordered, already planning. "David, you and me can check out the Rectory now, while he takes them back. Call Bae, tell him what's happening," she told the dwarf.

"You got it, sister. Though they got four prisoners up at Gold's place, so might be a little busy."

"Just tell me they are all still...well, human," Emma groaned. Not that she cared too much, but it would be a mess.

The dwarf shrugged. "Last I saw. They came after Granny and me, not to mention Eric and Ariel, tried some kind of magic, but it backfired when Granny put a crossbow bolt through the asshole's hand. Anton, get in the back. Tink and Ruby can be belted in up front. Those guys in the back with you." He motioned, eyeing the other men suspiciously.

"We can help," Toby protested as they helped Bernie into the bed of the pickup.

"You can help by going to the Town Hall and helping my mother," the sheriff ordered. "Actually, Fred should go to Gold's. He knows something about the magic."

Grumbling about being turned into a royal taxi service, Leroy helped belt the two unconscious women in and took off at enough speed to rattle those in the back, except the giant, who had clearly done this before.

"Are you sure about this?" David said. "Toby told me there were about two dozen of them, minus those. They could be holed up in the Rectory, waiting for us."

"And minus the ones enjoying my father in law's hospitality," she said grimly.

"Surely Bae will keep..."

"I don't much care if he does. These bozos have hurt people and endangered more. What if Henry or Bae had opened that box?" she growled, giving voice to her worries for the first time. David nodded. "We need to stop these dangerous psychos and soon, or I'll be half tempted to give the lot of them to him for his snail collection. Let's go."

 

The lights at the Rectory were out as they crept over the grass towards it. They had debated trying to find the hidden entrance that Fred had told them about, but decided not to take the chance. Slowly they made their way around to the back door, checking all the windows were dark.

Emma was prepared to pick another lock (damn she hadn't picked this many at once since she and Bae were together the first time) but the door swung open as she turned.

"Rectory?" David mouthed with a shrug. They entered the kitchen. The table was covered with the remains of a meal, and Emma wondered if they had left when they found out about the alert. They were more than welcome to take a crack at Town Hall, but between Regina's spell and the security force they were gathering, she was sure her mother would have them wrapped to go in short order, and if they went after Gold...well, a part of her worried about Bae and Henry, but the rest knew that Rumplestiltskin was angry and looking for a target or six, with Regina right behind him. The layout was familiar, and they entered the hall. Doors on the left and right, stairway to the upper floor. Emma gestured for her father to take the upstairs, while she debated the two doors. Opening the right hand, she found a living room, the sort of old fashioned, homey sort of thing that said 'preacher's house' more than 'psychos are us'. She did a quick once over, before going into the other.

Jackpot. It was an office. The walls were covered with bookshelves, and there was a big desk covered in papers. She kept half an ear out, listening to the creaking from above that told her of her father's progress, while she went to the desk to look at the papers. Suddenly, the light went on.

"Well, Sheriff Swan, I think it's me you are looking for."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of those who are reading this. Please leave a comment in the little box. We are close to an ending, but I am afraid it might take a day or two as I'm on a plane tomorrow.


	15. Showdown

"Leroy is brining us another cleric," Bae said as he rang off.

"At this rate, you're going to need another terrarium," Jeffereson commented.

"Not that kind. Remember what Lawrence said about others who disagreed? Emma found them locked up under the church along with our missing persons. But one of them is...well, he's one of their magically capable."

Rumplestiltskin thought for a moment. "Ask Lawrence about him. I've wasted too much time that I could have been using to work on Belle's condition," he said. Bae nodded, but before he could do anything, his phone rang again. Looking at the screen, he smiled. "Hey, b..." Whatever he was going to say died from his lips.

"How do you have Emma's phone?  Where is she?" he asked sharply, gesturing for paper.

"The Princess and her father are fine for the moment, and they will continue to be, as long as you do exactly what I tell you to. First things first, are you alone? Don't lie to me or it will be bad for your princess, and I will know if you lie." _Lawrence_ , Bae wrote, but as Rumplestiltlskin started out of the room, Regina came through the door and grabbed him, pulling him through to kitchen.

"One of the madmen is on the phone. I told Lawrence to play along," she whispered, waving to the corner where the sheet white cleric was listening to a cell phone. The sorcerer nodded, and grabbed the pad by the telephone to write his instructions.

"Yes...." Brother Lawrence said. "Baelfire, he just stepped out on the porch to take a call. No, they don't suspect me," he said, repeating as much as he could. "I'm doing research for him. I haven't seen Belle at all. They said she was ill. The spell...it didn't go right." Rumplestiltskin nodded. "Yes, I understand. Call if Bae says anything to his father, but what if I am not in the room, or they want to be alone? You...You've done what?" Lawrence said, turning even paler. "The sheriff and Prince David? But...of course, mine is not to question...Yes, Brother, of course." The former cleric was shaking when he hung up the phone. "He...He's gone mad, completely mad. They have Emma and David, and they want Bae to trade the dagger, your dagger, for their lives," he said. He was trembling so badly that Regina put a chair under him, anticipating his legs giving out.

"Thomas, the top psycho, says that they will cease their attacks and returned Emma and David once, and I'm quoting her, 'the Dark One has been brought under the right and proper control of the Brotherhood.' Only then will they consider....blah, blah, blah..." Bae said the moment he came through the kitchen door. "He's nuts, Papa, pure and simple. So what's the plan?"

"The plan," Rumplestiltskin said, thinking quickly. "Why the plan is that we give him the dagger, of course."

Lawrence hit the chair.

 

"When I get loose, I'm going to..." Emma growled as she struggled with her bonds.

"Now, now, Princess, manners," Thomas said, sneering. "And don't' think about using magic. Those bonds are blessed and magic proof. But don't worry, as soon as your fiancé steals his father's dagger, and brings it to me, this will all be over."

"What the hell makes you think that Bae will do it? He loves his father," Emma spat back.

"Does he? The father who abandoned him? Surely not more than the mother of his bastard son. Besides, it's what's best for everyone. Who knows better than the son of the Dark One, the danger of unchecked magic. Now just be patient. Soon it will be all over."

 

"Surely you can't...Please. Sir, if he gets the dagger it would be disastrous," Lawrence begged, distraught. "You have no idea what he would do, no one would be safe!"

"Ah, I think there is where you are wrong, lad. I know exactly what he is capable of," he said, suddenly the dread sorcerer that everyone knew lurked beneath the veneer. "But you see, I've been dealing with his sort for a long time, and I have tricks that he has never thought of. Now we must see to the dagger."

"You...you're not thinking of trying to give him a fake are you? I think he might notice," the former brother stuttered.

"Oh, no, I'm going to give him the real thing, but we have much to prepare before then and little time."

 

In the center of town, the small contingent of clerics waited. Bae looked around. He could see two had set up positions, one in the clock tower where he had proposed to Emma, another on the roof of one of the apartments. He was trying to remain calm but inside, he was boiling. These men had threatened his family, his friends, and the first place he had to call home, really home, since he left the Enchanted Forest.

Still, his father had a plan. It had taken some time to set everything up, lots of back and forth, not to mention the ferreting out of two brothers hiding amongst those in the Town Hall, spying on Snow's efforts. His father was going to need a bigger enclosure soon, or to consider smaller creatures.

"Well, come closer, Bae. Let us get this over with," Master Thomas shouted.

"Don't call me that," he snapped. "That is for my family and friends, and you are neither. Now, where are Emma and David? You get nothing, 'til I get them, and know they are all right."

"They are safe. I am a cleric of my word. Should..."

"Your word means less than nothing," Bae said. "I don't take the word of the kind of scum who sends dangerous objects to people with no regard for what will happen or who might get hurt. Now, where is my fiancée?"

The cleric nodded, and two men dragged them out from a waiting car. "There, you see, unharmed."

"Emma?" he called.

"All good, Cassidy, or it will be when I get out of these things and..."

"Be quiet," one of the guards snapped.

"Now you have seen her, it's time to live up to your part. **_Give me the dagger,_** " the head cleric insisted.

"Release them," Bae said, walking forward with a wooden box. "It's right here." He opened it and showed the man the dagger nestled in a velvet bed. Thomas nodded.

"My men will bring them to you, you will hand over the dagger to one of them. Once I know it's genuine, then our business will be concluded."

Bae walked part of the way down the street, aware of the eyes on him, not all of them clerical. The two brothers came forward leading Emma and David. Bae closed the box, and met them halfway, handing it over to one of them, while the other stayed with the prisoners. "What the hell is going on, Cassidy?" Emma snarled.

"Excellent," Master Thomas said. "Now, let us make certain it is the real dagger, shall we? Rumplestiltskin, show yourself, I command you." The sorcerer appeared and bowed, just a little, his eyes burning black. "And now that I command the Dark One, I will wipe all the magical scum from this town, starting with her." He pointed dramatically at Emma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for this update. The good news, the next part will be up tomorrow. It would have been today but my plane was delayed and so I haven't had the time that I thought I would. Please leave your reviews in the little box and I hope you enjoy it. thank you for the reading.


	16. Confrontation

"Ehhhh, not exactly," the sorcerer said. "Oh, I have something to give back to you...all packed up in an easy to carry container." He pointed and an over crowded terrarium appeared beside him.

"I am your Master, I have the dagger now, and you must..."

"I'm afraid not. You see, you have part of that right, you do have the dagger, at the moment. But that's the thing about True Love, it's unpredictable. It didn't so much break my curse, well, not overnight, nothing so dramatic. But it did separate me from it. The dagger no longer controls me, I control it," he explained, almost like a school master to a not overly bright student. He reached a hand out and called it to his hand. "Now..."

"Kill them," Master Thomas ordered, backing away from the imp in a man's form. But nothing happened. "What are you..." An arrow flew and buried itself in the ground at his feet. In the clock tower, Snow White stood with her bow. Now, from behind and down the side streets, citizens of Storybrooke poured into the center of town, magical and non magical alike. Master Thomas took in the scene. Some of his men looked scared, but he simply stood his ground, completely secure in his righteousness. "Friends, neighbours, now that we are all here together, join with us. We will rise up as one and fight the evil in our midst. The Dark One and his sort will bring us all..."

"Bring us what? Where were you when Pan attacked? What have you done to help us, any of us?" Prince Eric shouted.

"I have prayed. I don't expect you to know better. How dare you question me at all, you, who are in an unholy union with that...fish," Thomas spat.

"Nothing unnatural 'bout a mermaid," Leroy said. "Granted, she uses magic to be on dry land, but then, nothing unnatural 'bout magic either."

"Go *achoo* boil your head *achoo*," Tom added, as clearly as he could in support of his brother.

"Magic belongs in the hands of the clerics. Without the guidance of the..."

"We've been doing fine without your sort of clerics," Frederick shouted from the other side of the street. Rumplestiltskin stood back and watched. The man was delusional, and he wanted to be prepared when the cleric finally lost what was left of his mind. "You attacked innocent people, and sent out packages that could have been opened by children. What did my father in law ever do..."

"None of them were innocent, not even the children, for they are the product of unnatural liaisons. Your father in law was certainly not innocent. He brought his punishment on himself, when he was cursed. He deserved to pay for his actions. They all did, all of you who consort with sorcerers, fairies, werewolves, and dwarves, you are damned, poisoned. The rest of you, join us, and help us put these creatures back in their places." If he was expecting to receive support, it was not forthcoming. There was an undertone, muttering from the crowd, and even a few of his own men were backing away, as if suddenly realising how he was. "You will do as I say!  In the name of the Gods and our order, I command..."

"You loathsome bastard," a loud and frighteningly familiar voice rang out, and the crowd (which was still growing, as, presumably, the grapevine was working at full capacity), parted and his beautiful lady burst through, remarkably quickly for a woman in her condition, especially one who should have been resting still. The clerical turncoat had given him the final piece, but he'd been fairly certain that she would sleep for some time after her ordeal. He should have known better. Behind her came Dove, who he had left on guard. The man had never been good at refusing Belle, and looking at the rage on her face, he wasn't certain that all of the spell's dangerous ferocity had left her. Oh, his lady had a temper, but rarely had he seen her actually on the verge of physical violence, but at the moment, he was more than willing to allow her to take out her fury, especially as he was there to protect her. "How dar you, you deranged....You endanger the life of an unborn child who has never done any harm..."

"Better it die unborn, than live to spew forth its evil," Master Thomas snarled. "And you along with it." He reached for something but it was the last straw. Rumplestiltskin had called the magic to his hands, but Belle flew at him, all fury, hitting him low in the belly and then, though he didn't see it, apparently somewhat lower. As he crumpled, he opened his mouth, but nothing emerged. The sorcerer held up something, a wet, pink, slimy thing. The cleric was in shock and still under attack by the furious pregnant woman who seemed to still have some of the spell inside her.

"Ewwww..." someone behind him said.

"I'll give it back to him when he learns some manners," Rumplestiltskin said, but he was already moving towards his wife. As far as he was concerned, she had every right to him, and he would be more than willing to let her have whatever parts of the man she wanted, nailed to wherever she wished to put them but he didn't want her to do herself an injury. Besides, some of the brothers were recovering from their shock. Some of them were backing away, either startled by what their leader had said, or, more likely, anxious to get away from the crowd that they had been expecting to support them. But one or two looked like they were coming to his defense. A few scuffles broke out, as, on direction from Emma, some of the men moved to take them into custody.

"Lay a hand on her, and you will be joining your comrades," the sorcerer said, voice low as he looked at the two who came to rescue their leader. He laid a hand on Belle's shoulder and she turned on him, only calming when she saw her husband. "I think you've done enough, love. It's not good for the baby."

"They aren't good for the baby," she told him, but moved into his arms and snuggled up close, her fury desolving into an instinct of quite another sort.

"Which is why..." He waved a hand, and Thomas and his compatriots disappeared.

"Rumplestiltskin, what did you do?" the sheriff said, as she eyed the place that the clerics had been. "And tell me you didn't kill them."

"As much as I personally feel that the entire town would be better off without them, no, dearie, I didn't. Unfortunately, as you know, my wife doesn't like it when I kill things, she made me promise. You will find Thomas and his companions in an enclosure on your desk. I'll have Dove bring you the other ones," he said, pointing to the terrarium still sitting where he left it.

"But..."

"Think of it as maximizing cell space. After all, you haven't room for all of them," Rumplestiltskin said as he watched Fredrick, Eric, Leroy and several dwarves ushering the remaining clerics off towards the sheriff's station. "You're going to have an overcrowding problem already. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to take my wife home," he told her, anxious to continue their reunion at home.

"But what am I..." she started. "I don't even know what to charge them with."

"Be glad their still alive, and leave the charging to your parents," Bae advised. "This is an old world problem, and needs an old world solution."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, thank you all for reading. This is the next to last chapter. There is an epilogue because it wouldn't do for our heroes to let the bad guys get away with what they did, but how to deal with it....well, you will see tomorrow.


	17. The Brotherhood on Trial

In the end, it was two weeks before the trial commenced. Unable to contain them in the jail (after the first night, when Emma couldn't find it in her heart to care too much), they had to find other arrangements. Gaston, Nottingham, and the Knights that had signed up to help the clerics purely for gain had been sentenced to an extensive term of community service, with the threat of a very irritated sheriff should they fail to appear, if they were lucky. Everyone knew that Rumplestiltskin was not content with the arrangement and that the sheriff had promised him that he could have his way if they stepped out of line. So far they had been towing the line. No one wanted to irritate the sorcerer at the moment. In addition, Gaston had been fired by Maurice and evicted by Rumplestiltskin. The former knight's luck was just not improving.

Of the rest, Lawrence had been pardoned for his assistance, along with those who had refused to participate, all of whom would be speaking at the trial. They had also released one of the rats, once returned to human form, on the word of Lawrence and his friends that he was not mentally competent. There was one condition, that they would be responsible for him.

Beyond that, the rodents remained rodents. Rumplestiltskin had adamantly refused to do anything with them before the trial, saying they were easier to keep and less trouble that way, besides it gave the layabouts another task to perform. He had, however, returned the chief rat's tongue. "Belle didn't want it around the house," he had explained to Emma when he laid out his parameters. He was more than willing to remove it again, should the man fail to learn. "If he will not learn to hold his tongue," the sorcerer had told her. "I will be more than glad to hold it for him." 

The town had returned more or less to normal. All the victims had been restored. Rumplestiltskin had gone to the church and, with the help of Regina, had removed all the dangerous artifacts, including all of the remaining chess pieces which he had packed up and sent away to wherever it was he kept things he deemed too dangerous. The shop had remained closed for the most part, and when it was open, it was Dove or Bae manning the counter. Despite the fact that they had reversed the spell and that Belle and the baby had received a clean bill of health from Doc, the sorcerer and his lady had more or less withdrawn to the house, though they could seen around town, walking hand in hand or eating at Granny's.

The trial of Brother Thomas and the rest of the brotherhood began at the Town Hall on a beautiful day in late June. After a lot of discussion between Snow, David, Emma, and Regina, not to mention consultation with the entire royal population of Storybrooke and Rumplestiltskin as advisor to the Prince and Princess, resident magical expert, and the only lawyer in town that wasn't one of the victims or a member of the royalty or both.

"I'm not sure about this.  Is it even legal?" Emma asked. "I mean..."

"Let me put it this way," Rumplestiltskin said, ever the lawyer. "In this world, there are no laws for attacking someone with magic. Oh, you could get him, get them all for the kidnapping, and the assaults.  Of course that would assume you could do it properly by the laws of this land. In order to do that, you would need a judge, one who wouldn't have to recuse himself, which leaves out both of the judges in town, Midas as a victim, and Edward, who has been friends with him since...oh, since the old world at least. Then there are the appropriate attorneys, prosecution and defense. I'm the only practicing attorney in town.  Would you have me for the prosecution or the defense?"

"Okay, I get the point. It's not like we can call in outside help," Emma agreed reluctantly. "So how does this work?"

 

The entire town of Storybrooke was finding seats in the Town Hall, or so it seemed, waiting for things to begin. At the long table where the city council usually met, Snow and David sat at the center of a council made of all the royalty of Storybrooke, well, all save Regina, who didn't involve herself in that kind of thing anymore, and was only there as a witness.

Rumplestiltskin escorted his wife to the seats arranged for her and the other victims. He would have preferred she not come, but despite being one of the most directly affected, she was also very pregnant, and Doc had ordered her not upset. Rumplestiltskin had tried to get the dwarf to put her on bed rest, but Doc was smart enough to stay out of what was strictly a domestic arrangement.

"This is all so..." Emma muttered as she hustled the prisoners into their seats in a special box, those still on two feet.

"It could be worse, sheriff.  They left off the crowns and the thrones, all the pomp and circumstance. I believe I still have a set of old world clothes..."

"No, thanks," the sheriff said.

"I like you in that outfit," Belle said.

"Maybe when we get home, sweetheart," the sorcerer said. Belle smiled. Emma groaned, and several of the prisoners turned a vague shade of green. The sorcerer smiled as he left her between Jefferson and Maurice to take his place beside the council table as the terrarium was brought in with the rest of them.  "I believe that is my cue."

It was the work of moments to transform the remaining rats into humans. "Well, as close to human as they were before," Rumplestiltskin remarked.

"Master Thomas, you and your brotherhood stand accused of crimes against the citizens of Storybrooke.  Have you anything to say for yourself before we begin?" Princess Snow asked.

"You have no authority over me, you..."

"You can remember to keep a civil tongue in your head, _**if**_ you wish to keep a tongue in your head at all," Rumplestiltskin reminded him. "Your pardon, Majesty, for the interruption." The man opened his mouth, but said nothing, settling for glaring at them all.

After the rules of the court were explained, Snow asked if there were questions. Of the eighteen remaining members of the Brotherhood, six had turned on their former brothers, and after consultation with Lawrence and the rest, had been allowed to accept sentence for their part in the plot, exactly what that would be was still to be worked out by the council, but for now, they were enjoying accommodations in the old private hospital wing. The rest were sitting behind Brother Thomas who was doing the talking. "I don't accept your authority, any of you. You allow these...creatures to live among you, as if they were people. And what about the sorcerer? What is his role in all of this?"

"He is here as an advisor to this council, and..."

"I'm here, dearie, to see that you keep a civil tongue in your head or..."

"Or what? You see how they allow him to threaten me, to spread his evil?" the cleric said, trying to gain some support.

"Let us be clear. I do not threaten.  You should be aware of that by now. I promise. Now, you will be polite and hold your tongue, or I will hold it for you."

The cleric blanched, but he returned sullenly to his seat. The witness testimony was kept short and on point. Sidney spoke about Peter's package delivery, Granny and Leroy about the attack, even Emma spoke about what they had found in the church. Archie Hopper was called on as the only qualified psychologist in town (or close enough), to speak to their mental state, and the current condition of Brother Bernard, who was still recovering slowly. Only Belle did not testify, in deference to her condition (and the thought that upsetting her in her current condition was likely to bring out her husband's bad side). Master Thomas kept his eyes firmly on the sorcerer as the witnesses continued.

When they had finished, Snow White called for a recess, to allow everyone a break. "You don't need to stay, love," Rumplestiltskin said as he walked his wife out for a breath of fresh air.

"I am going to stay and see this through," she said, gently. "For our little one." Belle winced just a little.

"Are you..." he asked immediately.

"I'm fine.  Your daughter on the other hand, is feeling a bit restless."

"Just like her mother," he said, giving her a gentle kiss.

 

The council reconvened, and it was the Brotherhood's turn. With the threat of Rumplestiltskin hanging over them, most managed to make their statements without trouble. Several admitted to having been duped about the nature of the attack on Belle and her unborn child. "I didn't sign up for attacking a pregnant woman," one of them explained. "But he kept that part to himself and a few of the others."

"Betrayer," Thomas shouted at the man. "You have turned your back on all that we stand for, on the..."

"Order," Snow White shouted. "You..."

"Vile woman, you are just as guilty!  This entire town is drowning in evil. I was trying to save you from..."

But before he could say more however, Belle rose from her seat, her face pale. "Excuse me, Princess Snow, but I need my husband. I believe that..." Then she doubled over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am going to apologise. Originally this was going to be the last chapter, but the story had other ideas, so there will be one more chapter, to wrap everything up. Thank you all for reading and for all the comments. Please keep at it.


	18. Decision

If anything, the chaos intensified for a few moments, until Midas stood and, in his best courtroom voice, called for silence. "Thank you," Snow said. "If everyone will remain in their places except those directly involved." It didn't require saying really, but it gave people a sense of doing the right thing as the sorcerer hurried to his wife's side, joined by Maurice, Dove, Doc, and, with a quick look at his fiancé, Bae. The Storybrooke ambulance crew, who had been standing by in the back of the hall, in case something came up (and taking bets on whether or not the sorcerer would lose his temper and they would be looking for a transport container) kept into action, getting them to the ambulance with an almost magical speed.

Regina had, after a quick conversation with Rumplestiltskin as he rushed up the aisle at Belle's side, taken his place as magical expert and advisor (they had, in fact, discussed and planned for this contingency, but she wasn't happy, still she had agreed, and was now cursing).

"You will be fine, Love," Rumplestiltskin told her from his place in the back of the crowded ambulance. Only he, Doc and one of the crew were there, the others were following in the sorcerer's car.

"I know I will," Belle said. "I just hate to miss the end of the trial. Was the ambulance really necessary?"

"It was here," Doc said. "Now, you worry about the little one, and let the rest worry about those ruffians."

 

It was three hours later when Emma Swan finally made it to the hospital, following after Jefferson, Grace, and Henry. She had escorted the prisoners back to their cells, while the Hatter had driven the children. "I'm sure that Dove or someone will see I get back to mine," he said as he accepted the keys to the Bug.

If there was anything in town half as exciting as the trial, it was the impending birth of the child of the Dark One and his beautiful and well beloved lady, and there was brief discussion of postponing, but they had agreed to continue. Regina only had to threaten Thomas once, when he, deciding that now that the direct threat of the Dark One was no longer there, it was the right time, went on an abusive rant that had his own men shifting subtly (and not so subtly) away from him. At that point, the sorceress explained that she was not Rumplestiltskin, and would light his tongue on fire for him as a start, and would deliver a recording of his vitriol to the sorcerer afterward in case he felt his and his wife and child's honour had been impugned. "He's always been a bit particular about his honour, and Belle's," she reminded him.

"And I was just going to shoot him in the foot," Emma said, offhanded. Her patience had been worn out and she would have felt very much better supporting her fiancé, who was dealing with his father.

"You see how they threaten us, holy clerics that we are," Thomas shouted gleefully.

"Put a sock in it," Leroy growled from the gallery.

"Holy my ass," Ruby added with much less subtlety. Amidst the grumbling, it was clear to most of the Brotherhood, that the town was not on their side, while several were praying actively that they weren't going to be sentenced to spend the rest of their lives as rodents or other garden pests. But Thomas was far too convinced of his own rightousness. He quieted, but he had been sullen and arrogant by turns as they finished the last of the questioning. In fact, in the finals questions, he had arrogantly admitted that his plans had been to see that all the magical citizens and their families were either brought under the control of the Order (meaning his control) and see that Snow and David were replaced by 'more appropriate rulers that would do what is necessary to destroy those who spread their evil and brought magic to Storybrooke.' No one asked what he meant, no one wanted him to even say it. Snow White was looking ill, while David and Midas, along with Eric, were looking like they wanted to take up arms and deal with them the old fashioned way right then and there.

"So you are admitting to high treason," Edward said. He had always been level headed. In the end, the prisoners were returned to their cells while the council adjourned to deliberate. There had been a question as to whether those who had spent the last fortnight as rats should be put in cells or left as men, but Emma maintained that, while her agreement with Rumplestiltskin was to keep them as rats until the trial, she was certain that Master Thomas was a) crazy as a loon, and b) she was short of space, so back into the terrarium they went, to be returned to the jail by her deputy with the rest of the prisoners being housed there (the less insane ones). Thomas had cursed roundly, using language that no cleric should even know as they were transformed.

Emma filled Bae in as they went down the hall to the maternity waiting room. "They just took Belle down to Delivery," he told her. "Papa's in the waiting room. I'm not sure if he's glad not to have to be in there, or upset because the staff didn't want an edgy sorcerer around while they try to deliver his baby. Belle refused painkillers and they don't want to risk magic near the baby."

"Great, so _I_ get to deal with your father while he's edgy. This day can't get any better, can it?  We barely get along on a good day."

"Just tell him about the end of the trial, leaving out the insults. It'll give him something to focus on that isn't Belle," he advised.

"This is not his first baby," Emma replied grumpily.

"Yeah, well he was away at war when I was born, remember? Besides, it was three hundred years ago, give or take, and he wasn't a powerful sorcerer under a great deal of stress at the time."

"Not helping Cassidy," she grumbled as they entered the room where the sorcerer was pacing, while Jefferson tried to talk him down. Grace and Henry were in the corner, and her son jumped up to hug her.

"Hey Mom. Grandma Belle's gone down, they said it would be soon." She returned the hug and then went to the man that would soon be her father in law (was, to all practical purposes). They didn't hug, they weren't really that kind of people, but he gave her a distracted half smile.

"All the rats back in their cages?" he asked.

"Yep, including the literal ones."

"Oh, I thought you were against keeping them that way?"

"I am, but I don't trust Thomas at all, and we are short on space. Council is deliberating. My parents send their best, and said they would be by when they break or have a decision, whichever comes first."

"I wouldn't expect a decision soon," Rumplestiltskin said. "It's not an easy one. We are hardly set up for long term incarceration and Thomas is..."

"Nuttier than a fruit cake?" the sheriff offered helpfully.

"As you say."

"I suggested Neverland, or Wonderland for that matter," Jefferson added from where he had stretched his tall frame into one of the hospital chairs. "Not that I generally _like_ the idea of pawning off our problems on someone else, but..." He shrugged eloquently.

"I could always leave him a rat," the sorcerer said. "I'm sure that one of the classrooms at the school has a need, perhaps the biology lab? But it isn't my decision."

"Tea, it's probably aweful. Hello sheriff," Maurice said as he entered and handed the sorcerer a cup. "Eve's bringing some proper tea and something to eat." He and his son in law were getting along better than they had been, especially with everything that had happened and the baby due any moment. They could get along for the sake of the ladies involved.

 

An hour later, they were still waiting, when a very tired looking Snow White and her husband came in. "Any news yet?" she asked politely, hugging her daughter and grandson first.

"Nothing yet, but I could ask the same of you," the sorcerer said accepting a hug as well, with as good a grace as he ever did. Snow was the hugging sort, and she would keep trying.

"We have an idea," David said carefully, shaking his hand. He didn't even try. "But it will require your involvement."

"What is it that..."

"Rumplestiltskin." The doors opened and a smiling Doc came into the waiting room. Immediately all attention turned to the portly dwarf. "You have a daughter. Mother and child are doing just fine. Give them a little time to get them cleaned up and you can see them both."

 

Court reconvened the next afternoon to a once again packed Town Hall. Rumplestiltskin was not present, to no one's surprise, being home with his wife and new daughter, so Regina was still standing in for him.

"Master Thomas," Snow started. Emma shot him a look guaranteed to freeze suspects in their tracks and he rose slowly. "As the head of the Brotherhood of the True Way, you are convicted of attempted treason, ordering the magical attack on the Chapterhouse of the Sisterhood of fairies, ordering the successful magical attacks on Belle Gold, Alex D'or, here known as King Midas, Sidney Glass, Maurice French and Deputy Gerald Knight, personally attacking with magic your own Brother Peter, ordering the kidnapping of Tink, of the Order of fairies, Ruby Lucas, Anton called Tiny, and Brothers Tobias, Oliver, Fredrick and Bernard. In addition you are charged with coersion by magic of Brother Bernard, causing mental damage, and with the attempted magical attacks of Jefferson the Hatter, Ariel the mermaid, Archie Hopper, Marco, and Gus. Because of the nature and extent of the damage you have done, and because you have shown no remorse for your crimes, you will be taken to the town line, which will be restored to its former state, and sent across the line to live out your life in a monastery of this world with no memory of your former life."

"You can't..." he shouted. "How dare you..."

"You _will_ be quiet," Regina said sharply, fire coming to her hands.

"You can't..." The sorceress stepped forward one step before he shut his mouth with a click.

"As to the rest of you. Brothers Jesrick, Stephen, Peter, Jannus, Terrance, and Stanis, you are additionally charged with carrying out the aforementioned attacks. As you have also shown no remorse for your actions, and shown a willingness to fail to live by the rules of this community, you will be joining your Master." Most of the brothers mentioned looked stunned, but Brother Jesrick rose.

"As if I would want to stay in this pit of depravity, you think that you are getting rid of us, but you will see..." Regina caught his eye, and took another step before his self preservation instinct took over and he dropped into his chair and glared at her.

"For the rest of you, you have shown remorse for your actions and a willingness to abide by the rules of the community. You will, however, be incarcerated for a period of one year and undergo regular psychiatric counseling with Doctor Archie Hopper, at the end of which, he will make a recommendation to this council about your parole. It saddens me to see that you have turned your backs on those that you swore to serve and counsel as members of the clerical orders. The sentences will be carried out tomorrow. May the Gods have the mercy on you that you deserve. We are adjourned." With those final words, Snow White and the rest of the Royal Council rose to leave. The hall was abuzz as everyone suddenly began to talk at once. Emma Swan moved in, with the help of Gawain, along with Anton and three of his adopted brothers who had been deputized for the occasion.

"This is not the end, I will see to that. I have..." Brother Thomas started, but moments later, his mouth sealed itself shut.

"Thought you were going to light him on fire," Emma said to Regina.

"I didn't want to miss.  Besides, it's quieter this way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading this story. I hope you liked it. It was sitting on my notebook for a while and I finally felt the need to finish it. I hope it was all that you wanted. Please leave a comment. This is not necessarily the end of the series, this is merely the last one that I have actively planned at the moment. I know that I should, at some point, have the marriage of Bae and Emma, not to mention going back to the Baby Shower, but we will see.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I know, another open story with so many others. But this one has been waiting around. It's just a taste, but hopefully one you will enjoy. Unlike most of the other stories in this series, this is a bit on the dark and serious side. Hope you enjoy, please do that thing you do...


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